~N<:  -::  I 
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the  flljenlngint/ 

PRINCETON,  N.  J. 


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\ 


Purchased  by  the  Mary  Cheves  Dulles  Fund. 


Division 

Section- 


F Z 5 1 5 
L26 


/ 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2016 


https://archive.org/details/acrossunknownsou01  land 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN 
SOUTH  AMERICA 


BY 

A.  HENRY  SAVAGE-LANDOR 

AUTHOR  OF 


“In  the  Forbidden  Land,”  “An  Explorer’s  Adventures  in 
Tibet,”  “Across  Wildest  Africa,”  “Across  Coveted 
Lands,”  “ The  Gems  of  the  East,”  etc. 


WITH  EIGHT  FULL-PAGE  PLATES  IN  COLOR 
NUMEROUS  ILLUSTRATIONS  FROM 
PHOTOGRAPHS,  AND  MAPS 


IN  TWO  VOLUMES 

VOL.  I 


BOSTON 

LITTLE,  BROWN,  AND  COMPANY 
1913 


Copyright , 1913, 

By  A.  Henry  Savage-Landor. 

All  rights  reserved 


Published,  October,  1913 


THE  UNIVERSITY  PRESS,  CAMBRIDGE,  U.  S.  A. 


®btsi  Wiatk 

is 

DEDICATED  TO  THE  PEOPLE  OF  THE 
GREAT  BRAZILIAN  REPUBLIC 


PREFACE 


SOUTH  AMERICA  is,  to  my  mind,  the  “ Coming 
Continent  ” — the  continent  of  the  future.  Every- 
body knows  the  wealth  of  the  Argentine,  Peru,  Chile, 
and  Bolivia;  but  the  interior  of  Brazil,  the  largest  and 
richest  country  of  all,  not  unlike  forbidden  Tibet,  was 
perhaps  better  known  a century  or  two  ago  than  now. 
Few  people  realize  that  Brazil  is  larger  than  the  United 
States  of  North  America,  Germany,  Portugal,  and  a few 
other  countries  taken  together.  The  interior  is  practically 
a terra  incognita,  although  the  ancient  Jesuits  and,  at  a 
later  date,  escaped  slaves  and  native  rubber  collectors 
have  perhaps  found  their  way  inland  to  a considerable 
distance. 

When  I started  on  the  trans-continental  journey  I 
did  not  take  Europeans  with  me.  It  is  not  easy  to  find 
men  who  can  stand  the  strain  of  so  long  a journey.  I 
was  also  not  surprised,  although  I was  disappointed,  not 
to  be  able  to  obtain  suitable  officers  in  Brazil  to  go  part 
of  the  journey  with  me,  so  that  I might  be  relieved  of 
a portion  of  the  tedious  scientific  work  of  the  expedition, 
especially  taking  and  computing  daily  astronomical  ob- 
servations, to  which  much  time  has  to  be  devoted.  All 
the  work  of  all  kinds  eventually  fell  upon  my  shoulders, 
and  after  departing  I found  myself  filling  the  posts  of 
surveyor,  hydrographer,  cartographer,  geologist,  meteor- 
ologist, anthropologist,  botanist,  doctor,  veterinary  sur- 
geon, painter,  photographer,  boat-builder,  guide,  naviga- 
tor, etc.  The  muleteers  who  accompanied  me  — only  six, 
all  counted  — were  of  little  help  to  me,  perhaps  the  re- 


PREFACE 


viii 

verse.  Considering  all  the  adventures  and  misfortunes 
we  had,  I am  sure  the  reader,  after  perusing  this  book, 
will  wonder  that  we  got  back  at  all,  and  will  be  indulgent 
enough  to  give  me  a little  credit  for  saving,  through  in- 
numerable disasters  — and  perhaps  not  altogether  by 
mere  luck  — all  my  photographs  ( eight  hundred  of  them ) , 
all  my  note-books,  all  my  scientific  observations,  as  well 
as  all  the  vocabularies  I made  of  the  various  Indian  lan- 
guages of  tribes  found  on  my  way.  Also  for  bringing 
all  my  men  out  alive. 

Here  are,  briefly,  a few  results  of  the  expedition: 

(a)  First  of  all  it  has  proved  that,  far  from  being  an 
impenetrable  country,  as  was  believed,  it  is  possible  for 
any  experienced  traveller  to  cross  Brazil  in  any  direction 
if  he  can  obtain  suitable  followers. 

( b ) It  has  proved  that  the  “millions  of  savage  In- 
dians ” supposed  to  be  swarming  all  over  the  interior  of 
Brazil  do  not  exist  at  all.  All  the  pure  Indians  of  Cen- 
tral Brazil  taken  together  may  number  a few  hundreds, 
or,  including  half-castes  (negroes  and  Portuguese),  a 
few  thousands.  As  for  the  wild  beasts  and  snakes,  no 
one  ever  need  fear  being  troubled  by  them;  they  are 
more  afraid  of  you  than  you  of  them,  you  can  take  my 
word  for  it.  So  that  the  terror  which  has  so  far  pre- 
vented people  from  penetrating  the  interior  has  no  reason- 
able ground,  and  this  book  ought  to  be  the  means  of 
making  European  people  some  day  swarm  to  develop 
that  marvellous  land,  now  absolutely  uninhabited. 

(c)  Meteorological  observations  were  recorded  daily 
right  across  Brazil. 

( d ) Altitude  observations,  forming  a complete  chain 
and  including  all  minor  undulations,  were  registered 
across  the  entire  South  American  continent,  from  the 
Atlantic  coast  at  Rio  de  Janeiro  as  far  as  Callao  on  the 
Pacific  coast.  The  observations  were  taken  with  a hyp- 
someter  and  several  excellent  aneroids.  These  show  that 


PREFACE 


ix 


many  of  the  elevations  marked  on  the  existing  maps  of 
Brazil  are  inaccurate,  the  error  amounting  sometimes  to 
several  hundred  feet. 

(e)  A complete  survey  was  made  of  new  country 
between  the  Araguaya  River  and  the  Madeira,  including 
a careful  survey  of  the  Arinos  River  and  the  river 
Arinos-Juruena,  one  of  the  most  powerful  tributaries  of 
the  Amazon.  In  the  small  map,  reproduced  from  the 
best  existing  maps,  at  the  end  of  the  first  volume,  several 
high  mountain  ranges,  quite  as  high  as  the  Andes,  may 
be  noticed  extending  from  north  to  south  between  the 
rivers  Madeira,  Tapajoz,  Xingu,  Araguaya,  and  Tocan- 
tins. Those  high  ranges  are  merely  the  work  of  imagina- 
tive cartographers,  who  have  drawn  them  to  make  the 
map  look  pretty.  They  do  not  exist.  I have  left  them 
in  order  to  draw  the  attention  of  the  reader  to  them.  The 
position  of  the  Arinos-Juruena  is  from  one  to  one  and 
a half  degrees  farther  west  than  it  is  there  drawn,  and 
should  be  where  I have  marked  the  red  line  of  my  route. 

(/)  Everything  that  was  of  interest  pictorially,  geo- 
logically, botanically,  or  anthropologically  was  photo- 
graphed or  sketched.  Astronomical  observations  were 
constantly  taken  to  determine  the  positions  of  our  camps 
and  places  of  importance. 

Botanical  and  geological  collections  were  made,  but 
unfortunately  had  to  be  abandoned. 

(g)  During  the  journey  the  head  waters  of  the  fol- 
lowing important  rivers  were  visited:  The  Rio  Vermelho, 
Rio  Claro,  Rio  Araguaya,  Rio  Barreiros,  Rio  das  Mortes, 
Rio  S.  Louren^o,  the  Cuyaba,  the  Xingu,  the  Parana- 
tinga,  the  Paraguay  (Parana),  the  Rio  Arinos,  the 
Secundury. 

(h)  The  entire  course  of  the  river  Tapajoz  was 
studied,  and  also  the  entire  course  of  the  Amazon  from 
its  mouth  almost  to  its  birthplace  in  the  Andes. 

( i ) Useful  vocabularies  were  drawn  up  of  the  follow- 


X 


PREFACE 


ing  Indian  languages:  Bororo,  Apiacar,  Mundurucu, 
Campas  or  Antis. 

( j ) The  expedition  has  furthermore  shown  that  it  is 
possible  with  poor  material  in  the  way  of  followers  to 
accomplish  work  of  unusual  difficulty. 

(k)  That  it  is  possible  for  people  in  a normal  condi- 
tion of  health  to  go  at  least  sixteen  days  without  food 
while  doing  hard  work. 

(Z)  That  it  is  possible  to  cross  an  entire  continent  — 
for  one  entire  year  — in  the  company  of  dangerous  and 
lazy  criminals  without  any  weapon  for  protection  — not 
even  a penknife  — and  to  bring  forth  from  such  poor 
material  remarkable  qualities  of  endurance,  courage,  and 
almost  superhuman  energy. 

( m ) Last,  but  not  least,  on  that  expedition  I was  able 
to  collect  further  evidence  that  a theory  I had  long  held 
as  to  the  present  shape  of  the  earth  was  correct.  I had 
never  believed  in  the  well-known  theory  that  a continent, 
now  submerged,  once  existed  between  America,  Europe, 
and  Africa  — in  other  words,  where  the  Atlantic  Ocean 
is  now.  That  theory  has  found  many  followers.  In 
support  of  it  one  is  told  that  such  islands  as  Madeira, 
the  Canaries,  the  Azores,  are  the  topmost  peaks  of  a now 
partly  submerged  range  of  mountains  which  once  stood 
upon  that  vanished  continent.  It  is  also  a common  be- 
lief that  Northern  Africa  underwent  the  contrary  process, 
and  was  pushed  up  from  under  the  sea.  That  is  why, 
it  is  said,  the  Sahara  Desert,  which  was  formerly,  with- 
out doubt,  an  ocean  bed,  is  now  dry  and  above  water. 

One  has  only  to  look  at  any  map  of  the  entire  world 
to  see  what  really  happened  to  the  earth  in  days  long 
gone  by.  Let  me  first  of  all  tell  you  that  there  never 
existed  a continent  between  Africa  and  South  America. 
In  fact,  I doubt  whether  there  is  as  much  as  a square 
mile  between  those  two  continents  more  submerged  to-day 
than  it  was  thousands  upon  thousands  of  years  ago. 


PREFACE 


X] 


Here  is  what  really  happened.  The  earth  at  one 
period  changed  its  shape  — when,  is  merely  guesswork 
and  is  of  no  consequence  here  — and  the  crust  of  the  earth 
— not  the  core,  mind  you  — split  into  two  great  gaps 
from  pole  to  pole,  with  a number  of  other  minor  fissures. 
In  other  words,  the  earth  opened  just  like  the  skin  of 
an  over-heated  baked  apple.  The  African  and  American 
continents,  as  well  as  Australasia,  with  New  Guinea,  the 
Celebes  Islands,  the  Philippine  Archipelago,  and  China, 
which  before  that  event  formed  part  of  one  immense  con- 
tinent, thus  became  divided,  leaving  North  and  South 
America  isolated,  between  the  Atlantic  and  the  Pacific  — 
which  were  then,  and  only  then,  formed. 

It  is  easy,  by  looking  intelligently  at  a map,  to  re- 
construct the  former  shape  of  the  world.  You  will  notice 
that  the  most  western  portion  of  Africa  fits  exactly  into 
the  gap  between  North  and  South  America,  while  the 
entire  African  coast  between  Dahomey  and  the  Cape 
Colony  fits  perfectly,  in  all  its  indentations  and  projec- 
tions, into  the  coast  line  of  South  America.  The  shores 
of  Western  Europe  in  those  days  were  joined  to  North 
America,  and  find  to-day  their  almost  parallel  and  well- 
fitting coast  line  on  the  east  coast  of  the  United  States 
and  Canada.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  world,  the 
western  side  of  South  America,  the  same  conditions  can 
be  noticed,  although  the  division  of  the  two  continents 
(America  and  Asia)  is  there  much  wider.  Fragments 
were  formed,  leaving  innumerable  islands  scattered  in  the 
Pacific  Ocean,  half  way  between  the  actual  continents 
of  Asia,  Australia,  and  America.  A mere  glance  is  suffi- 
cient to  show  how  well  Australia  fits  in  along  the  Chilian 
and  Peruvian  coast,  the  great  island  of  New  Guinea 
along  part  of  Peru  and  Ecuador  and  the  west  coast  of 
the  Central  American  Isthmus.  The  Philippine  Islands 
probably  in  those  days  lay  alongside  of  Guatemala,  while 
California  bordered  on  Japan. 


PREFACE 


xii 


Such  immense  rivers  as  the  Amazon,  and  its  porten- 
tous tributaries  flowing  from  south  to  north,  were  also 
formed,  perhaps  at  that  time,  great  fissures  caused  by  the 
sudden  splitting  and  cooling  of  the  earth’s  crust  becoming 
the  river  beds.  So,  perhaps,  was  formed  the  giant  canon  of 
Colorado  and  the  immense  fissures  in  the  earth’s  crust 
that  occur  in  Central  Asia,  in  Central  Africa,  and,  as  we 
shall  see,  on  the  central  plateau  of  Brazil. 

Undoubtedly  the  Antarctic  continent  was  once  joined 
to  South  America,  Australia,  and  Africa.  During  the 
last  Antarctic  expeditions  it  has  been  shown  that  the  same 
geological  formation  exists  in  South  America  as  in  the 
Antarctic  plateau. 

On  perusing  this  book,  the  reader  will  be  struck  by 
the  wonderful  resemblance  between  the  Indians  of  South 
America,  the  Malay  races  of  Asia,  and  the  tribes  of 
Polynesia.  I maintain  that  they  not  only  resemble  each 
other,  but  are  actually  the  same  people  in  different  stages 
of  development,  and  naturally  influenced  to  a certain 
extent  by  climatic  and  other  local  conditions.  Those 
people  did  not  come  there,  as  has  been  supposed,  by 
marching  up  the  entire  Asiatic  coast,  crossing  over  the 
Behring  Straits  and  then  down  the  American  coast,  nor 
by  means  of  any  other  migration.  No,  indeed:  it  is  not 
they  who  have  moved,  but  it  is  the  country  under  them 
which  has  shifted  and  separated  them,  leaving  members 
of  the  same  race  thousands  of  miles  apart. 

I was  able  to  notice  among  the  Indians  of  Central 
Brazil  many  words  of  Malay  origin,  others  closely  re- 
sembling words  of  languages  current  among  tribes  of  the 
Philippine  Islands.  The  anthropometric  measurements 
which  I took  of  South  American  Indians  corresponded 
almost  exactly  with  those  of  natives  of  the  Sulu  Archi- 
pelago and  the  island  of  Mindanao. 

I hope  some  day  to  use  the  wealth  of  material  I have 
collected  among  innumerable  tribes  on  the  Asiatic  coast, 


PREFACE 


xiii 

on  the  islands  of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  in  South  America 
and  in  Africa,  in  making  a comparative  study  of  those 
peoples.  It  should  prove  interesting  enough.  I have  no 
space  here  to  go  deeply  into  the  subject,  as  this  is  a book 
descriptive  of  South  America  merely.  I may  add  that 
the  most  ardent  supporter  of  the  above  theory  is  the 
celebrated  explorer  and  scientist,  Colonel  Marchand,  of 
Fashoda  fame  — a man  who  has  studied  and  understands 
the  mysteries  of  this  world  better  than  any  man  living. 

My  sincere  thanks  are  due  to  the  following  gentlemen 
for  much  politeness  shown  me  in  connection  with  the 
expedition:  To  Mr.  Georges  Babin,  the  famous  writer 
of  Paris;  to  Mr.  Manoel  Bomfin  (ex-deputv  of  Brazil), 
to  Senador  Alcindo  Guanabara,  for  the  keen  interest 
taken  in  the  expedition  and  for  proposing  to  Congress 
after  my  return  that  a grant  of  <£4,000  should  be  given 
to  me  as  a reward  for  the  work  done.  I herewith  also 
express  my  gratitude  to  the  Brazilian  Government  for 
paying  me  that  sum,  which  came  in  usefully  to  defray 
part  of  the  expenses  of  the  expedition.  To  H.  E.  Dr. 
Pedro  de  Toledo,  Minister  of  Agriculture,  for  the  intel- 
ligent desire  shown  to  help  as  much  as  he  could  in  the 
venture,  and  for  kindly  giving  me  the  free  use  of  all  the 
telegraphs  in  Brazil,  including  the  Amazon  Cable,  and 
other  important  privileges;  to  Dr.  Jose  Carlos  Rodriguez 
for  hospitality  and  much  valuable  advice;  to  Dr.  Paolo 
de  Frontin,  Conseilheiro  Antonio  Prado,  Dr.  Jose  Pereira 
Rebon^as,  and  Mr.  Mockill  and  their  respective  Com- 
panies for  the  many  privileges  granted  me  upon  the  vari- 
ous railways  of  which  they  were  the  Presidents.  To 
Colonel  R.  E.  Brazil  and  Commandante  Macedo  for  their 
kind  hospitality  to  me  while  navigating  the  lower  Tapa- 
joz  River;  to  Dr.  A.  B.  Leguia,  President  of  the  Peru- 
vian Republic;  to  the  British  Ministers  at  Petropolis, 
Lima,  La  Paz,  and  Buenos  Aires,  and  the  British  Con- 
suls of  Rio  de  Janeiro,  Para,  Manaos,  Iquitos,  Antofo- 


XIV 


PREFACE 


gasta,  Valparaiso;  finally,  to  the  British  and  American 
residents  at  all  those  places  for  much  exquisite  hospitality 
offered  me. 

Special  thanks  are  due  to  Mr.  Regis  de  Oliveira, 
Brazilian  ex-Minister  in  London,  for  valuable  credentials 
given  me  before  my  departure  which  paved  the  way  to 
the  hearty  reception  I received  everywhere  in  Brazil, 

A.  Henry  Savage-Landor. 


Savoy  Hotel,  London, 
September,  1913. 


CONTENTS 


Volume  One 

CHAPTER  I 

Page 

The  Heart  of  Brazil  — Brazil,  its  Size  and  its  Immense 
Wealth  — Rio  de  Janeiro — Brazilian  Men  of  Genius 
— Sao  Paulo  — The  Bandeirantes  — The  Paulista 
Railway 1 

CHAPTER  II 

Coffee  — The  Dumont  Railway 23 

CHAPTER  III 

On  the  Mogyana  Railway 34 

CHAPTER  IV 

The  Terminus  of  the  Railway  — An  Unpleasant  Incident 
— The  Purchase  of  Animals  — On  the  March  with 
the  Caravan 46 

CHAPTER  V 

Travelling  across  Country  — A Musical  Genius — Valuable 

Woods  — Thermal  Springs 61 


XVI 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  VI 

Page 

Inquisitiveness  — Snakes — A Wonderful  Cure  — Butter- 
flies— A Striking  Scene 76 

CHAPTER  VII 

In  the  City  of  Goyaz 90 

CHAPTER  VIII 

Fourteen  Long  and  Weary  Days  — Disappointment — Crim- 
inals as  Followers 104 

CHAPTER  IX 

The  Departure  — Devoured  by  Insects 116 

CHAPTER  X 

Fishing  — Termites  — The  Great  Araguaya  River  . . . 130 

CHAPTER  XI 

The  Tucaxo — Fish  of  the  Araguaya  River  — A Bad  Shot 

— A Strange  Sight 140 

CHAPTER  XII 

Geological  Speculation  — Beautiful  Pasture-land  . . . 156 

CHAPTER  XIII 

The  River  Barreiros  — A Country  of  Tablelands  . . . 171 

CHAPTER  XIV 

The  Bororo  Indians 181 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  XV 

Bororo  Superstitions  — The  Bororo  Language  — Bororo 
Music 


CHAPTER  XVI 

Bororo  Legends  — The  Religion  of  the  Bororos  — Funeral 
Rites 


CHAPTER  XVII 

The  River  Das  Garzas  — Majestic  Scenery 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

The  Salesian  Fathers — A Volcanic  Zone 


CHAPTER  XIX 

The  Paredao  Grande — A Canon  — A Weird  Phenomenon 
— Troublesome  Insects 

CHAPTER  XX 

Wild  Animals  — An  Immense  Chasm  — Interesting  Cloud 
Effects 


CHAPTER  XXI 

A Beautiful  Lagoon — Strange  Lunar  Display  — Waves  of 
Lava — Curious  Grottoes — Rock  Carvings  — A Beautiful 
Waterfall 


CHAPTER  XXII 

In  Search  of  the  Highest  Point  of  the  Brazilian  Plateau 
— Mutiny — -Great  Domes  — Travelling  by  Compass  — 
A Gigantic  Fissure  in  the  Earth’s  Crust 


xvii 

Page 

196 


211 


231 


245 


256 


273 


288 


301 


CONTENTS 


xviii 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

Page 

The  Jang ada  River  — Demented  Descendants  of  Slaves  — 
Appalling  Degeneration  — Giant  Monoliths — The  River 
Roncador  — Gigantic  Natural  Gateways  — The  Discov- 
ery of  Fossils 314 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

A Swampy  Valley  — Impressive  Scenery — “Church  Rock” — 
Escaping  before  a Forest  Fire — The  Rio  Manso  — Dif- 
ficulties of  Marching  across  Virgin  Country  — Beautiful 
Rapids 330 


CHAPTER  XXV 

The  Blue  Mountains  — The  Cuyaba  River  — Inaccurate 
Maps  — A Rebellion  in  Camp  — Infamy  of  Author’s  Fol- 
lowers— The  Lagoa  dos  Veados  and  the  Seven  Lakes 
— Falling  Back  on  Diamantino — Another  Mutiny  — 
Slavery — Descending  from  the  Tableland 349 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Volume  One 

The  Author Photogravure  Frontispiece 


Page 

Rio  de  Janeiro,  showing  the  beautiful  Avenida  Central  4 

Rio  de  Janeiro  as  it  was  in  1903  5 

Dr.  Pedro  de  Toledo,  Minister  of  Agriculture,  Brazil  10 
Senador  Alcindo  Guanabara,  a great  Literary  Genius 

and  Patriot  of  Brazil 11 

The  Municipal  Theatre,  Rio  de  Janeiro 16 

Baron  de  Rio  Branco 17 

Dr.  Passos 30 

A BEAUTIFUL  WATERFALL  AT  ThERESOPOLIS 31 

Antonio  Prado’s  Coffee  Estate 31 

The  Station  and  Shed  of  the  Goyaz  Railway  (Aragu- 

ary).  Mr.  Schnoor  and  his  two  Engineers  ....  50 

Typical  Trees  of  the  Brazilian  Forest  (Goyaz).  The 
Trunks  are  devoid  of  Branches  and  Foliage  up  to 

a great  Height 50 

Author  departing  from  Morro  da  Meza,  showing  style 

of  Costume  worn  during  the  Expedition 51 

Alcides  and  Filippe  the  Negro 51 

Goyaz  Railway  in  Construction  : the  Cut  leading  to 

the  Paranahyba  River 62 

Author’s  Caravan  crossing  a Stream 62 

Characteristic  Types  of  Brazilians  of  the  Interior. 
(Notice  degenerate  Faces  and  development  of 
Goitre) 63 


XX 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Page 

A typical  Village  of  the  Goyaz  Province 63 

Picturesque  Ox-carts  of  Goyaz 66 

A Home  in  Central  Brazil 67 

A clever  Automatic  Pounding  Machine 67 

Brazilian  Pack-saddles 80 

A typical  Village.  (The  higher  Building  is  the 

Church)  80 

Author’s  Caravan  about  to  cross  the  Corumba  ....  81 

Burity  Palms 81 

The  President  of  Goyaz  and  his  Family.  (Giant  Cactus 

in  the  Background) 92 

The  Main  Square  of  Goyaz  City,  showing  Prison  and 

Public  Library 93 

Some  of  the  Baggage  and  Scientific  Instruments  used 

by  Author  on  his  Expedition 93 

Author’s  Six  Men 104 

View  of  Goyaz  City  from  Sta.  Barbara 105 

Author’s  Men  packing  Animals 105 

Some  of  the  Author’s  Pack  Animals 118 

Author’s  Caravan  across  the  immense  Prairies  of 

Matto  Grosso 119 

The  Araguaya  River  (looking  North) 134 

The  Araguaya  (looking  South) 134 

Caraja  Indian  of  the  Upper  Araguaya  River 135 

Typical  Flat-topped  Plateau  of  Central  Brazil  . . . 150 

One  Night’s  Fishing  on  the  Araguaya 150 

The  Paredaozinho 151 

Typical  Scenery  of  Matto  Grosso 151 

Volcanic  Scenery  of  Matto  Grosso  (Chapada  in  Fore- 
ground)   162 

Peculiar  Formation  of  Central  Plateau 162 

Curious  Domes  of  Lava  with  Upper  Stratum  of  Earth, 

Sand  and  Ashes 163 

Great  Undulating  Campos  of  Matto  Grosso 163 

Typical  Brazilian  Plateau,  showing  Work  of  Erosion  182 
On  the  Plateau  of  Matto  Grosso  (Alcides  in  Fore- 
ground)   182 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


xxi 

. Page 

A fine  Bororo  Type  on  a Visit  to  Author’s  Camp  . . . 183 

Bororo  Men,  showing  Lip  Ornament 186 

Bororo  Men 186 

Bororo  Indians 187 

Bororo  Men  (the  Aprons  have  been  added) 190 

Bororo  Warriors 191 

Bororo  Warriors 191 

The  Horrors  of  Photography:  Bororo  Children  . . . 200 

Bororo  Child,  showing  strong  Malay  Characteristics  201 

Bororo  Chief  rattling  Gourds  filled  with  Pebbles, 
in  order  to  call  Members  of  his  Tribe  ( Coloured 

Plate) 208 

Bororo  Girls 212 

Bororo  Girls  (Side  View) 212 

Bororo  Women,  showing  Method  of  carrying  Children  213 

Bororos,  showing  Formation  of  Hands 213 

Bororo  Women 222 

Bororo  Women 222 

Bororos  threshing  Indian  Corn 223 

A Bororo  Blind  Woman 223 

Bororo  Children 228 

Bororo  Women 228 

Isolated  Conical  Hills  with  Tower-like  Rocky  Forma- 
tions on  Summit 229 

The  Endless  Campos  of  Matto  Grosso 229 

Geometrical  Pattern  on  the  Surface  of  a Flow  of 

Lava  (caused  by  sudden  Contraction  in  Cooling)  . 238 

The  Observatory  at  the  Salesian  Colony.  (Padre  Col- 

BACCHINI  IN  THE  FOREGROUND) 239 

Bororo  Women  and  Children 239 

Strange  Formation  of  volcanic  Rock 252 

Volcanic  Cavities  (Matto  Grosso) 252 

A vertical  Mass  of  solid  Rock  of  a brilliant  red 

Colour 253 

The  Paredao  Grande  (Matto  Grosso)  ( Coloured  Plate ) 256 

The  Paredao  Grande,  showing  Vertical  Rocks  with 

Great  Arches 260 


XXII 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Page 

Mushroom-shaped  Rocks  of  Volcanic  Formation  . . . 261 

A Great  Earthquake  Fissure  in  the  Terrestrial  Crust 

(Matto  Grosso) 261 

Strange  Geometrical  Pattern  of  Lava  over  Giant  Vol- 
canic Dome 270 

Author’s  Troop  of  Animals  wading  across  a Shallow 

Stream 271 

Central  Cluster  of  Trees  and  Palms  in  Cuvette 

(Matto  Grosso) 288 

A Giant  Wave  of  Lava 288 

Strange  Rock-Carvings  of  Matto  Grosso 289 

Weird  Lunar  Effect  witnessed  by  Author  ( Coloured 

Plate) 292 

A Giant  Quadrangular  Block  of  Rock 296 

Rock-Carvings  in  Matto  Grosso 296 

A PICTURESQUE  WATERFALL  ON  THE  S.  LOURENCO  ....  297 

A Canon  of  Matto  Grosso 316 

How  Author’s  Animals  rolled  down  Trailless  Ravines  317 
Hideous  Types  characteristic  of  Central  Brazil.  Two 

Women  (left)  and  Two  Men  (right) 322 

Author’s  Caravan  marching  across  Trailless  Country  323 

The  Roncador  River 323 

Fossil  Skull  of  a Giant  Animal  discovered  by  Author 

(Side  View) 330 

Fossil  Skull  of  Giant  Animal  (seen  from  Underneath)  330 

A Grand  Rock  (“  Church  Rock  ”) 331 

Church  Rock  (Side  View) 331 

Quadrangular  Rocky  Mountain  connected  by  Natural 
Wall  of  Rock  with  the  vertical-sided  Range  in 

Background 34-0 

Quadrangular  Rocky  Mountain,  showing  Rocky  Wall 

connecting  it  to  Neighbouring  Range 341 

Author’s  Caravan  in  the  Heart  of  Matto  Grosso  . . . 341 

A Giant  Dome  of  Lava 348 

Campos  and  Chapada  of  Matto  Grosso 348 

A Street  of  Diamantino 349 

The  Dogs  of  the  Expedition 349 


ILLUSTRATIONS  xxiii 

Page 

Marvellous  Scenery  of  the  Central  Brazilian  Pla- 
teau. “ Church  Rock  ” standing  in  the  Centre 

( Coloured  Plate ) 352 

Matto  Grosso  Girl,  a Mixture  of  Portuguese,  Indian 

and  Negro  Blood 362 

Brazilian  Child,  a Mixture  of  Portuguese  and  Negro  362 
Map  of  South  America  (showing  Author’s  Route)  . . 378 


Across  Unknown  South  America 


CHAPTER  i 

The  Heart  of  Brazil  — Brazil,  its  Size  and  its  Immense  Wealth  — 
Rio  de  Janeiro — Brazilian  Men  of  Genius — Sao  Paulo — The 
Bandeirantes  — The  Paulista  Railway 

“ 11  /TORE  than  three  months  to  reach  the  spot?  ” asked 
I y I the  cinematograph  man  in  amazement.  “ Then 
perhaps  Monsieur  is  on  a journey  to  Mars  or  the 
moon!  There  is  no  spot  on  earth  that  takes  so  long  to 
reach.”  (Hearty  laughter  at  his  own  wit.) 

That  exclamation,  and  wise  words  that  follow,  came 
from  the  assistant  of  one  of  the  largest  firms  of  cine- 
matograph appliances  in  Paris,  where  I had  called  in 
order  to  purchase  a moving  picture  apparatus  and  10,000 
meters  of  film  to  be  used  on  my  forthcoming  journey 
across  the  South  American  continent. 

The  shop  assistant  had  very  honestly  warned  me  that 
if  the  films  were  to  be  used  in  a damp,  tropical  climate, 
they  must  be  exposed  and  developed  within  three  months 
of  their  manufacture.  After  that  time  they  would  become 
so  perforated  and  fogged  as  to  be  quite  useless.  I 
had  remarked  that  it  would  take  me  more  than  three 
months  to  reach  the  spot  where  I should  begin  to  take 
cinematograph  pictures. 

“ Will  Monsieur  please  tell  where  is  the  spot  where 
he  would  be  likely  to  use  the  films?”  continued  the 
assistant,  still  overcome  with  surprise. 

“ In  the  heart  of  Brazil.” 

1 


VOL.  I.  — 1 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


“ In  the  heart  of  Brazil  ...  in  the  very  heart  of 
Brazil?  . . . Oh,  mon  Dieu!  mon  Dieu!”  (More 

laughter  and  a look  of  compassion  at  me.)  “ Mais 
nous  avons  une  de  nos  maisons  tout  a fait  pres  de  la!  ” 
(“  Why,  indeed,  we  have  one  of  our  factories  quite  close 
to  there.”) 

It  was  then  my  turn  for  hearty  laughter  and  the 
look  of  compassion. 

“ Pray,”  I inquired,  “ tell  me  more  exactly.  Where 
is  your  factory  close  to  the  heart  of  Brazil?  ” 

“ It  is  quite,  quite  close.  It  is  in  Montreal,  Canada. 
. . . You  will  send  your  films  there  . . . two  or  three 
days’  journey.  ...  It  will  take  us  a week  to  develop 
them  . . . two  or  three  days  for  their  return  journey. 
In  a fortnight  you  will  have  them  back  again.” 

Quite  close,  indeed:  only  a distance  of  some  65°  of 
latitude  — or  some  7,170  kilometres  as  the  crow  flies  — 
with  no  direct  communication  by  land  or  water! 

That  was  the  Frenchman’s  knowledge  of  geography; 
but  I find  that  the  average  Englishman,  unless  he  is 
directly  interested  in  those  countries,  knows  little  better, 
and  perhaps  even  less.  Time  after  time  I have  been 
asked  in  London  if  Brazil  were  not  a province  of  Mexico, 
and  whether  it  is  not  through  Brazil  that  the  Americans 
are  cutting  the  Panama  Canal!  There  are  many  who 
have  a vague  idea  that  Brazil  is  a German  colony; 
others,  more  patriotic,  who  claim  it  as  an  English 
possession.  Many  of  those  who  have  looked  at  the  map 
of  the  world  are  under  the  impression  that  Spanish  is 
spoken  in  Brazil,  and  are  surprised  when  you  tell  them 
that  Portuguese  happens  to  be  the  local  language. 
Others,  more  enlightened  in  their  geography  by  that  great 
play  Charley’s  Aunt,  imagine  it  a great  forest  of  nut  trees. 
Others,  more  enlightened  still,  believe  it  to  be  a land 
where  you  are  constantly  walking  in  avenues  adorned 
with  wonderful  orchids,  with  a sky  overhead  swarming 

2 


THE  SIZE  OF  BRAZIL 


with  birds  of  beautiful  plumage.  I have  been  asked  in 
all  seriousness  whether  I found  the  Andes  quite  flat  — 
great  prairies  (the  person  had  heard  of  the  Argentine 
pampas  and  got  mixed  up)  — or  whether  “it”  was 
merely  a large  lagoon! 

I could  quote  dozens  more  of  these  extreme  cases  of 
ignorance,  but  of  one  thing  I am  certain,  and  that  is,  that 
there  are  few  people  in  the  British  Isles  who  realize  the 
actual  size  of  the  great  Brazilian  Republic. 

Brazil  is  8,524,778  square  kilometres  — with  the 
territory  of  the  Acre  newly  acquired  from  Bolivia, 
8,715,778  square  kilometres  — in  extent;  that  is  to  say,  it 
covers  an  area  larger  than  the  United  States  of  North 
America,  Germany,  Portugal,  Greece,  and  Montenegro 
taken  together. 

Some  of  the  States  of  the  Republic  are  larger  than 
some  of  the  largest  countries  in  Europe:  such  as  the 
State  of  the  Amazonas  with  1,894,724  square  kilometres; 
the  State  of  Matto  Grosso  with  1,378,784;  the  State  of 
Para  with  an  area  of  1,149,712  square  kilometres;  the 
State  of  Goyaz  with  747,311;  the  State  of  Minas 
Geraes  with  574,855;  the  Acre  territory,  191,000  square 
kilometres. 

There  are  fewer  people  still  who  seriously  appreciate 
the  great  importance  of  that  beautiful  country  — with  no 
exception  the  richest,  the  most  wonderful  in  the  world; 
to  my  mind  undoubtedly  the  continent  of  the  future. 

Incalculable  is  the  richness  of  Brazil  in  mineral  wealth. 
Magnificent  yellow  diamonds  are  to  be  found  in  various 
regions,  those  of  Minas  Geraes  and  Matto  Grosso  being 
famous  for  their  purity  and  extraordinary  brilliancy; 
agates,  moonstones,  amethysts,  emeralds,  sapphires, 
rubies,  topazes,  and  all  kinds  of  beautiful  rock  crystals 
are  plentiful.  Gold  exists  in  many  regions  on  the  central 
plateau  — but  particularly  in  Minas  Geraes  and  Matto 
Grosso;  and  platinum  in  the  States  of  Sao  Paulo, 

3 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


Minas  Geraes,  Sta.  Catharina,  and  Espirito  Santo ; silver, 
mercury,  lead,  tin,  salicylated  and  natural  copper  are 
found  in  many  places,  as  well  as  graphite,  iron,  magnetic 
iron,  oxide  of  copper,  antimony,  argentiferous  galena, 
malachite,  manganese  oxide,  alum,  bituminous  schist, 
anthracite,  phosphate  of  lime,  sulphate  of  sodium,  haema- 
tite, monazitic  sands  (the  latter  in  large  quantities), 
nitrate  of  potassium,  yellow,  rose-coloured,  and  opalescent 
quartz,  sulphate  of  iron,  sulphate  of  magnesia,  potash, 
kaolin.  Coal  and  lignite  of  poor  quality  have  been 
discovered  in  some  regions,  and  also  petroleum,  but  not 
in  large  quantities. 

Springs  of  thermal  and  mineral  waters  are  numerous 
— particularly  those  of  which  the  waters  are  sulphurous 
or  ferruginous;  others  contain  arsenic  and  magnesia. 

Most  beautiful  marble  of  various  colours  is  to  be 
found,  and  also  enormous  quantities  of  mica  and 
amianth;  porphyry  and  porphyroid  granite,  carbonated 
and  hydroxided  iron,  argillaceous  schist,  mica  schist. 

Even  richer  than  the  mineral  wealth  is  the  botanical 
wealth,  hitherto  dormant,  of  Brazil.  Valuable  woods 
occur  in  many  Brazilian  forests  — although  it  must  not 
for  one  moment  be  imagined  that  entire  forests  are  to  be 
found  composed  of  useful  woods.  Indeed  this  is  not  the 
case.  Most  of  the  woods  are  absolutely  valueless.  Still, 
when  it  is  realized  that  the  forests  of  Brazil  extend  for 
several  millions  of  square  kilometres,  it  is  easy  to  conceive 
that  there  is  plenty  of  room  among  a majority  of  poor 
trees  for  some  good  ones.  Most  Brazilian  woods  are 
interesting  on  account  of  their  high  specific  gravity. 
Few,  very  few,  will  float  on  water.  On  the  central 
plateau,  for  instance,  I could  not  find  a single  wood 
which  floated  — barring,  under  special  conditions,  the 
burity  palm  ( Mauritia  vinifera  M.).  Along  the  banks 
of  the  Amazon  and  in  the  northern  part  of  Brazil  this  is 
not  quite  the  case.  Some  Brazilian  woods,  such  as  the 

4 


RIO  DE  JANEIRO. 

Showing  the  beautiful  Avenida  Central. 


IUO  DE  JANEIRO  AS  IT  WAS  IN  1903. 


THE  BRAZILIAN  FOREST 


iron-tree  (pao-ferro),  whose  name  fitly  indicates  its  char- 
acter, are  of  extraordinary  hardness.  The  Brazilian 
forest,  although  not  specially  rich  in  woods  for  building 
and  naval  purposes,  is  nevertheless  most  abundant  in 
lactiferous,  oleiferous,  fibrous,  medicinal,  resinous,  and 
industrial  plants  — such  for  instance  as  can  be  used  for 
tanning  purposes,  etc.  No  country  in  the  world  is  as 
rich  as  Brazil  in  its  natural  growth  of  rubber  trees;  nor 
have  I ever  seen  anywhere  else  such  beautiful  and 
plentiful  palms;  the  piassava  ( Attalia  fumifera  M.),  the 
assahy  ( Euterpe  oleracea  L.),  the  burity  ( Mauritia 
vinifera  M.),  the  carnahuberia  ( Copernicia  cerifera  M.), 
the  palmito  ( Euterpe  edulis  M.),  and  many  others.  I 
shall  give  a more  detailed  description  of  the  most  impor- 
tant of  these  plants  as  we  proceed  on  our  journey  and 
find  them  in  their  habitat. 

Where,  perhaps,  Brazil’s  greatest  richness  lies,  is  in 
its  hundreds  of  thousands  of  square  miles  of  wonderful 
pasture  lands  — perfectly  ideal,  with  plenty  of  excellent 
water  and  a delicious  climate  — capable  of  some  day 
fattening  enough  cattle  to  supply  half  the  world  with 
meat. 

All  these  wonderful  riches  are  absolutely  dormant; 
more  than  that,  absolutely  wasted  for  lack  of  population, 
for  lack  of  roads,  trails,  railways,  or  navigation  of  the 
rivers.  The  coast  of  Brazil  is  highly  civilized,  and  so, 
more  or  less,  is  the  immediate  neighbourhood  of  large 
cities;  but  the  moment  you  leave  those  cities,  or  the 
narrow  zone  along  the  few  hundred  kilometres  of  railways 
which  now  exist,  you  immediately  relapse  into  the  Middle 
Ages.  When  you  get  beyond  the  comparatively  narrow 
belt  of  semi-civilization,  along  the  coast,  Brazil  is  almost 
as  unknown  as  Mars  or  the  moon.  The  people  who  know 
least  the  country  are,  curiously  enough,  the  Brazilians 
themselves.  Owing  greatly  to  racial  apathy,  they  care 
little  for  the  trouble  of  developing  their  beautiful  land. 

5 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


They  watch  with  envy  strangers  taking  gold,  diamonds, 
platinum,  and  precious  stones  out  of  their  country.  They 
accuse  foreigners  of  going  there  to  rob  them  of  their 
wealth;  yet  you  seldom  meet  a Brazilian  who  will  venture 
out  of  a city  to  go  and  help  himself.  The  Brazilian  Gov- 
ernment is  now  beginning  to  wake  up  to  the  fact  that  it 
is  the  possessor  of  the  most  magnificent  country  on  earth, 
and  it  is  its  wish  to  develop  it;  but  the  existing  laws, 
made  by  short-sighted  politicians,  are  considered  likely 
to  hamper  development  for  many  years  to  come. 

Brazil  is  not  lacking  in  intelligent  men.  Indeed,  I 
met  in  Rio  de  Janeiro  and  Sao  Paulo  men  who  would  be 
remarkable  anywhere.  Councillor  Antonio  Prado  of  Sao 
Paulo,  for  instance,  was  a genius  who  had  done  wonders 
for  his  country.  The  great  development  of  the  State  of 
Sao  Paulo  compared  with  other  States  is  chiefly  due  to 
that  great  patriot.  Then  the  Baron  de  Rio  Branco  — 
the  shrewd  diplomatist,  who  has  lately  died  — has  left  a 
monument  of  good  work  for  his  country.  The  cession 
of  the  immensely  rich  tract  of  the  Acre  Territory  by 
Bolivia  to  Brazil  is  in  itself  a wonderful  achievement. 
Dr.  Pedro  de  Toledo,  the  present  Minister  of  Agriculture, 
is  a practical,  well-enlightened,  go-ahead  gentleman,  who 
makes  superhuman  efforts,  and  in  the  right  direction,  to 
place  his  country  among  the  leading  States  of  the  two 
Americas.  Dr.  Lauro  Severiano  Muller,  the  new  Minis- 
ter of  Foreign  Affairs,  is  a worthy  successor  of  Baron 
de  Rio  Branco.  There  are  many  other  persons  of  positive 
genius,  such  as  Senator  Alcindo  Guanabara,  a man  of 
remarkable  literary  ability,  and  one  of  the  few  men  in 
Brazil  who  realize  thoroughly  the  true  wants  of  the 
Republic,  a man  of  large  views,  who  is  anxious  to  see  his 
country  opened  up  and  properly  developed.  Another 
remarkable  man  is  Dr.  Jose  Carlos  Rodriguez,  the  pro- 
prietor of  the  leading  newspaper  in  Rio  — the  J ornal  do 
Commercio  — and  the  organizing  genius  of  some  of  the 

6 


MEN  OF  GENIUS 


most  important  Brazilian  commercial  ventures.  Having 
had  an  American  and  English  education,  Dr.  Rodriguez 
has  been  able  to  establish  in  Rio  the  best  edited  and 
produced  daily  newspaper  in  the  world.  Its  complete 
service  of  telegraphic  news  from  all  over  the  globe  — on 
a scale  which  no  paper,  even  in  England,  can  equal  or 
even  approach  — the  moderate  tone  and  seriousness  of  its 
leading  articles,  its  highly  reliable  and  instructive  columns 
on  all  possible  kinds  of  subjects  by  a specially  able  staff 
of  the  cleverest  writers  in  Brazil,  and  the  refined  style 
in  which  it  is  printed,  do  great  honour  to  Dr.  Rodriguez. 
Then  comes  another  man  of  genius  — Dr.  Francisco 
Pereira  Passos,  who,  with  Dr.  Paulo  de  Frontin,  has  been 
able  in  a few  years  to  transform  Rio  de  Janeiro  from  one 
of  the  dirtiest  and  ugliest  cities  in  South  America  into  the 
most  beautiful.  The  great  drive  around  the  beautiful  bay, 
the  spacious  new  Avenida  Central  — with  its  parallel 
avenues  of  great  width  — the  construction  of  a magnifi- 
cently appointed  municipal  theatre,  the  heavenly  road 
along  the  Tijuca  mountains,  encircling  and  overlooking 
the  great  harbour,  and  a thousand  other  improvements 
of  the  city  are  due  to  those  two  men.  Dr.  Paulo  Frontin 
has  also  been  active  in  developing  the  network  of  rail- 
ways in  Brazil.  Whatever  he  has  undertaken,  he  has 
accomplished  with  great  judgment  and  skill. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  enumerate  here  all  the  clever 
men  of  Brazil.  They  are  indeed  too  numerous.  The 
older  generation  has  worked  at  great  disadvantage  owing 
to  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  proper  education.  Many 
are  the  illiterate  or  almost  illiterate  people  one  finds  even 
among  the  better  classes.  Now,  however,  excellent  and 
most  up-to-date  schools  have  been  established  in  the 
principal  cities,  and  with  the  great  enthusiasm  and  natural 
facility  in  learning  of  the  younger  generations  wonderful 
results  have  been  obtained.  On  account  partly  of  the 
exhausting  climate  and  the  indolent  life  that  Brazilians 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


are  inclined  to  lead,  a good  deal  of  the  enthusiasm  of 
youth  dies  out  in  later  years ; still  Brazil  has  in  its  younger 
generation  a great  many  men  who  are  ambitious  and 
heartily  wish  to  render  their  country  service.  It  is  to  be 
hoped  that  their  efforts  may  be  crowned  with  success.  It 
is  not  talent  which  is  lacking  in  Brazil,  it  is  not  patriotism; 
but  persistence  is  not  perhaps  the  chief  characteristic 
among  races  of  Portuguese  descent.  In  these  days  of 
competition  it  is  difficult  to  accomplish  anything  great 
without  labour  and  trouble. 

I left  London  on  December  23,  1910,  by  the  Royal 
Mail  steamship  Amazon,  one  of  the  most  comfortable 
steamers  I have  ever  been  on. 

We  touched  at  Madeira,  Pernambuco,  and  then  at 
Bahia.  Bahia  seen  from  the  sea  was  quite  picturesque, 
with  its  two  horizontal  lines  of  buildings,  one  on  the  sum- 
mit of  a low  hill  range,  the  other  along  the  water  line.  A 
border  of  deep  green  vegetation  separated  the  lower  from 
the  upper  town.  A massive  red  building  stood  prominent 
almost  in  the  centre  of  the  upper  town,  and  also  a number 
of  church  towers,  the  high  dome  of  a church  crowning  the 
highest  point. 

I arrived  in  Rio  de  Janeiro  on  January  9,  1911. 

It  is  no  use  for  me  to  give  a description  of  the  city  of 
Rio  de  Janeiro.  Everybody  knows  that  it  is  — from  a 
pictorial  point  of  view  — quite  a heavenly  spot.  Few 
seaside  cities  on  earth  can  expect  to  have  such  a glorious 
background  of  fantastic  mountains,  and  at  the  same  time 
be  situated  on  one  of  the  most  wonderful  harbours  known. 
I have  personally  seen  a harbour  which  was  quite  as 
strangely  interesting  as  the  Rio  harbour  — but  there  was 
no  city  on  it.  It  was  the  Malampaya  Sound,  on  the  Island 
of  Palawan  (Philippine  Archipelago).  But  such  an 
ensemble  of  Nature’s  wonderful  work  combined  with 
man’s  cannot,  to  the  best  of  my  knowledge,  be  found 
anywhere  else  than  in  Rio. 


8 


RIO  DE  JANEIRO 


It  does  not  do  to  examine  everything  too  closely  in 
detail  when  you  land  — for  while  there  are  buildings  of 
beautiful  architectural  lines,  there  are  others  which  sug- 
gest the  work  of  a pastrycook.  To  any  one  coming  direct 
from  Europe,  some  of  the  statuary  by  local  talent  which 
adorns  the  principal  squares  gives  a severe  shock.  Ladies 
in  evening  dress  and  naked  cupids  in  bronze  flying 
through  national  flags  flapping  in  the  wind,  half  of  their 
bodies  on  one  side  of  the  flags,  the  other  half  on  the  other 
side,  look  somewhat  grotesque  as  you  approach  the 
statues  from  behind.  But  Rio  is  not  the  only  place  where 
you  see  grotesque  statuary;  you  have  not  to  go  far  from 
or  even  out  of  London  to  receive  similar  and  worse  shocks. 
If  Rio  has  some  bad  statues,  it  also  possesses  some  re- 
markably beautiful  ones  by  the  sculptor  Bernardelli  — a 
wonderful  genius  who  is  now  at  the  head  of  the  Academy 
of  Fine  Arts  in  Rio.  This  man  has  had  a marvellous 
influence  in  the  beautifying  of  the  city,  and  to  him  are  due 
the  impressive  lines  of  the  finest  buildings  in  Rio,  such  as 
the  Academy  of  Fine  Arts.  Naturally,  in  a young 
country  like  Brazil  — I am  speaking  of  new  Brazil,  now 
wide  awake,  not  of  the  Brazil  which  has  been  asleep  for 
some  decades  — perfection  cannot  be  reached  in  every- 
thing in  one  day.  It  is  really  marvellous  how  much  the 
Brazilians  have  been  able  to  accomplish  during  the  last 
ten  years  or  so  in  their  cities,  on  or  near  the  coast. 

Brazilians  have  their  own  way  of  thinking,  which  is 
not  ours,  and  which  is  to  us  almost  incomprehensible. 
They  are  most  indirect  in  their  thoughts  and  deeds  — a 
characteristic  which  is  purely  racial,  and  which  they 
themselves  cannot  appreciate,  but  which  often  shocks 
Europeans.  For  instance,  one  of  the  most  palatial 
buildings  in  the  Avenida  Central  was  built  only  a short 
time  ago.  In  it,  as  became  such  an  up-to-date  building, 
was  established  a lift.  But  do  you  think  that  the  archi- 
tect, like  all  other  architects  anywhere  else  in  the  world, 

9 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


would  make  the  lift  start  from  the  ground  floor?  No, 
indeed.  The  lift  only  starts  from  the  second  floor  up  — 
and,  if  I remember  rightly,  you  have  to  walk  some 
thirty-eight  steps  up  a grand  staircase  before  you  reach 
it!  Do  you  know  why?  Because  the  architect  wished  to 
compel  all  visitors  to  the  building  to  admire  a window  of 
gaudy  coloured  glass  half-way  up  the  staircase.  Thus 
Brazilians  reason  about  nearly  everything.  They  have 
not  yet  mastered  the  importance  and  due  proportion  of 
detail.  Frequently  what  is  to  us  a trifling  detail  is  placed 
by  them  in  the  forefront  as  the  most  important  point. 

Thanks  to  the  strong  credentials  I carried  — among 
which  were  letters  from  H.  E.  Regis  de  Oliveira,  Biazilian 
Minister  in  London  — I was  received  in  Rio  de  Janeiro 
with  the  utmost  consideration  and  kindness.  From  the 
President  of  the  Republic  to  the  humblest  citizens,  all, 
with  no  exception,  treated  me  with  charming  civility.  My 
stay  in  Rio  was  a delightful  one.  The  Brazilians  of  the 
principal  cities  were  most  courteous  and  accomplished, 
and  it  was  a great  pleasure  to  associate  with  them.  In- 
tense interest  was  shown  by  the  Government  of  the 
country  and  by  the  people  in  my  plan  to  cross  the 
continent.  Dr.  Pedro  de  Toledo,  the  Minister  of  Agri- 
culture, was  specially  interested  in  the  scheme,  and  it  was 
at  first  suggested  that  the  expedition  should  be  an 
Anglo-Brazilian  one,  and  that  I should  be  accompanied 
by  Brazilian  officers  and  soldiers.  Colonel  Rondon,  a 
well-known  and  brave  officer,  was  ordered  by  the 
Government  to  find  suitable  volunteers  in  the  army  to 
accompany  my  expedition.  After  a long  delay,  Colonel 
Rondon  informed  me  that  his  search  had  been  unsuccess- 
ful. Colonel  Rondon  said  he  would  have  gladly  accom- 
panied the  expedition  himself,  had  he  not  been  detained 
in  Rio  by  his  duties  as  Chief  of  the  Bureau  for  the  Pro- 
tection and  Civilization  of  the  Indians.  Another  officer 
offered  his  services  in  a jmivate  capacity,  but  as  he  became 

10 


MINISTER  OF  AGRICULTURE,  BRAZIL. 


SENATOR  ALCINDO  GUANABARA. 

A great  literary  genius  and  patriot  of  Brazil. 


EQUIPMENT  OF  THE  EXPEDITION 


involved  in  a lawsuit,  the  negotiations  were  suddenly 
interrupted. 

I endeavoured  to  find  suitable  civilians.  No  one 
would  go.  The  Brazilian  forest  was  worse,  more  im- 
penetrable than  any  other  forest  in  the  world.  Brazilian 
rivers  were  broader,  deeper,  and  more  dangerous  than  any 
other  river  on  earth.  Wild  beasts  in  Brazil  were  more 
numerous  and  wilder  than  the  wildest  animals  of  Africa 
or  Asia.  As  for  the  Indians  of  Central  Brazil,  they  were 
innumerable  — millions  of  them  — and  ferocious  beyond 
all  conception.  They  were  treacherous  cannibals,  and 
unfortunate  was  the  person  who  ventured  among  them. 
They  told  stories  galore  of  how  the  few  who  had  gone  had 
never  come  back.  Then  the  insects,  the  climate,  the 
terrible  diseases  of  Central  Brazil  were  worse  than  any 
insect,  any  climate,  any  terrible  disease  anywhere.  That 
is  more  or  less  the  talk  one  hears  in  every  country  when 
about  to  start  on  an  expedition. 

I had  prepared  my  expedition  carefully,  at  a cost  of 
some  £2,000  for  outfit.  Few  private  expeditions  have 
ever  started  better  equipped.  I carried  ample  provisions 
for  one  year  (tinned  meats,  vegetables,  a thousand  boxes 
of  sardines,  fruits,  jams,  biscuits,  chocolate,  cocoa,  coffee, 
tea,  etc.),  two  serviceable  light  tents,  two  complete  sets 
of  instruments  for  astronomical  and  meteorological  ob- 
servations, and  all  the  instruments  necessary  for  making 
an  accurate  survey  of  the  country  traversed.  Four 
excellent  aneroids  — which  had  been  specially  constructed 
for  me  — and  a well-made  hvpsometrical  apparatus  with 
six  boiling-point  thermometers,  duly  tested  at  the  Kew 
Observatory,  were  carried  in  order  to  determine  accurately 
the  altitudes  observed.  Then  I possessed  two  prismatic 
and  six  other  excellent  compasses,  chronometers,  six 
photographic  cameras,  specially  made  for  me,  with  the 
very  best  Zeiss  and  Goertz  lenses,  and  some  fourteen 
hundred  glass  photographic  plates  — including  some  for 

11 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


colour  photography.  All  articles  liable  to  be  injured  by 
heat  and  damp  were  duly  packed  in  air  and  water-tight 
metal  cases,  with  outer  covers  of  wood.  Then  I carried 
all  the  instruments  necessary  for  anthropometric  work, 
and  painting  materials  for  recording  views  and  scenes  in 
colours  when  the  camera  could  not  be  used,  as  at  night  or 
when  the  daylight  was  insufficient.  I had  a complete 
supply  of  spades,  picks,  large  saws,  axes,  and  heavy- 
bladed  knives  (two  feet  long)  for  cutting  our  way 
through  the  forest,  making  roads,  and  constructing  rafts, 
canoes,  and  temporary  bridges. 

I carried,  as  usual,  very  little  medicine  — merely  three 
gallons  of  castor  oil,  a few  bottles  of  iodine,  some 
formiate  of  quinine,  strong  carbolic  and  arsenical  soaps, 
permanganate  and  other  powerful  disinfectants,  caustic; 
that  was  about  all.  These  medicines  were  mostly  to  be 
used,  if  necessary,  upon  my  men  and  not  upon  myself. 

I had  twelve  of  the  best  repeating  rifles  that  are  made, 
as  well  as  excellent  automatic  pistols  of  the  most  modern 
type,  and  several  thousand  rounds  of  ammunition  — 
chiefly  soft-nosed  bullets.  These  weapons  were  carried 
in  order  to  arm  my  followers.  Although  I had  several 
first-class  rifles  for  my  own  use,  following  my  usual 
custom,  I never  myself  carried  any  weapons,  not  even  a 
penknife,  upon  my  person  except  when  actually  going 
after  game.  Again  on  this  occasion  as  on  previous  jour- 
neys, I did  not  masquerade  in  fancy  costumes,  such  as 
are  imagined  to  be  worn  by  explorers,  with  straps  and 
buckles  and  patent  arrangements  all  over.  I merely  wore 
a sack  coat  with  ample  pockets,  over  long  trousers  such 
as  I use  in  town.  Nor  did  I wear  any  special  boots.  I 
always  wore  comfortable  clothes  everywhere,  and  made 
no  difference  in  my  attire  between  the  Brazilian  forest 
and  Piccadilly,  London.  When  it  got  too  hot,  naturally 
I removed  the  coat  and  remained  in  shirt  sleeves;  but 
that  was  all  the  difference  I ever  made  in  my  wearing 

12 


A DANGEROUS  EXPEDITION 


apparel  between  London  and  Central  Brazil.  I have 
never  in  my  life  adopted  a sun  helmet  — the  most  absurd, 
uncomfortable  and  grotesque  headgear  that  was  ever 
invented.  I find,  personally,  that  a common  straw  hat 
provides  as  much  protection  as  any  healthy  person 
requires  from  the  equatorial  sun. 

If  I give  these  details,  it  is  merely  because  they  may 
be  of  some  use  to  others,  not  because  I wish  to  advertise 
these  facts;  and  also,  if  I do  not  give  the  names  of  the 
firms  which  supplied  the  various  articles,  it  is  because  — 
unlike  many  other  explorers  — I have  been  in  the  custom 
of  never  letting  my  name  be  used  in  any  way  whatever 
for  advertising  purposes. 

There  are  many  people  who  are  enthusiastic  over  a 
dangerous  project  when  they  first  hear  of  it,  but  after 
thinking  it  over  and  talking  with  friends  and  relatives, 
their  enthusiasm  soon  wears  off.  That  is  what  happened 
in  Rio.  I wasted  some  time  in  Rio  — socially  most 
enjoy  ably  employed  — in  order  to  get  followers  and  come 
to  some  suitable  arrangement  with  the  Government.  I 
was  deeply  indebted  to  the  Minister  of  Agriculture,  Dr. 
Pedro  de  Toledo,  for  allowing  me  the  free  use  of  all  the 
telegraphs  in  Brazil,  and  also  for  a special  permission 
(of  which  I never  availed  myself)  to  use,  if  necessary, 
the  flotilla  of  Government  boats  on  the  Amazon.  Cre- 
dentials were  also  furnished  me,  but  owing  to  the  way  in 
which  they  were  worded,  they  were  more  of  a danger  to 
me  than  a protection.  They  actually  proved  to  be  so  once 
or  twice,  when  I was  compelled  to  present  them.  The 
expedition  was  considered  so  dangerous,  that  the  Govern- 
ment published  broadcast  statements  in  the  official  and 
other  papers  stating  that  “ Mr.  A.  H.  Savage-Landor’s 
expedition  across  Brazil  was  undertaken  solely  at  his  own 
initiative  and  absolutely  at  his  own  risk  and  responsi- 
bility.” They  also  circulated  widely  the  statement  that 
I had  promised  not  in  any  way  to  injure  or  hurt 

13 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


the  native  Indians,  that  I would  not  supply  them 
with  firearms  of  any  kind,  and  that  I would  in  no  way 
ill-treat  them.  I had  gladly  promised  all  that.  I had 
not  even  dreamt  of  doing  any  of  those  things  to  the 
natives,  and  naturally  I strictly  kept  my  promise. 

In  a luxurious  Administration  car  placed  at  my 
disposal  by  Dr.  Paulo  Frontin,  I left  Rio  by  the  Central 
Railway,  escorted  as  far  as  Sao  Paulo  by  Dr.  Carlo  da 
Fonseca,  a railway  engineer,  sent  to  look  after  my  comfort 
by  the  Central  Brazilian  Railway  Company. 

On  approaching  Sao  Paulo  in  the  early  morning,  I 
was  much  struck  by  the  activity  of  the  waking  city  as 
compared  with  Rio.  Carts  were  dashing  to  and  fro  in 
the  streets,  the  people  walked  along  fast  as  if  they  had 
something  to  do,  and  numerous  factor}"  chimneys  ejected 
clouds  of  smoke,  puffing  away  in  great  white  balls.  The 
people  stopped  to  chat  briskly,  as  if  they  had  some  life 
in  them.  It  seemed  almost  as  if  we  had  suddenly  dropped 
into  an  active,  commercial,  European  city.  The  type  of 
people,  their  ways  and  manners,  were  different  from  those 
of  the  people  of  Rio  — but  equally  civil,  equally  charming 
to  me  from  the  moment  I landed  at  the  handsome  railway 
station. 

With  a delicious  climate  — owing  to  its  elevation  — 
with  a population  of  energetic  people  chiefly  of  Italian 
origin,  instead  of  the  apathetic  mixture  of  Portuguese 
and  negro,  Sao  Paulo  is  indeed  the  most  flourishing  city 
of  the  Brazilian  Republic.  Its  yearly  development  is 
enormous.  Architecturally  it  is  gradually  becoming 
modified  and  improved,  so  that  in  a few  years  it  will  be  a 
very  beautiful  city  indeed.  Already  the  city  possesses 
beautiful  avenues  and  a wonderful  theatre. 

Everybody  knows  what  an  important  part  the  enter- 
prising people  of  Sao  Paulo  have  played  in  the  expansion 
and  colonization  of  the  central  and  southern  regions  of 
Brazil.  The  early  activity  of  the  Paulistas  — it  dates 

* 14 


THE  PAULIST AS 


back  to  1531  — can  be  traced  from  the  River  Plate  on 
the  south,  to  the  head  waters  of  the  Madeira  in  Matto 
Grosso  on  the  east,  and  as  far  as  Piantry  on  the 
north. 

I cannot  indulge  here,  as  I should  like  to  do,  in  giving 
a complete  historical  sketch  of  the  amazing  daring  and 
enterprise  of  those  early  explorers  and  adventurers  and 
of  their  really  remarkable  achievements.  Their  raids 
extended  to  territories  of  South  America  which  are  to-day 
almost  impenetrable.  It  was  really  wonderful  how  they 
were  able  to  locate  and  exploit  many  of  the  most 
important  mines  within  an  immense  radius  of  their  base. 

The  history  of  the  famous  Bandeiras,  under  the 
command  of  Raposo,  and  composed  of  Mamelucos 
(crosses  of  Portuguese  and  Indians)  and  Tupy  Indians, 
the  latter  a hardy  and  bold  race,  which  started  out  on 
slave-hunting  expeditions,  is  thrilling  beyond  words  and 
reads  almost  like  fiction.  The  ways  of  the  Bandeirantes 
wrere  sinister.  They  managed  to  capture  immense 
numbers  of  slaves,  and  must  have  killed  as  many  as  they 
were  able  to  bring  back,  or  more.  They  managed,  there- 
fore, to  depopulate  the  country  almost  entirely,  the  few 
tribes  that  contrived  to  escape  destruction  seeking  refuge 
farther  west  upon  the  slopes  of  the  Andes. 

Although  the  Brazilians,  even  in  official  statistics, 
estimate  the  number  of  pure,  savage  Indians  in  the 
interior  at  several  millions,  I think  that  the  readers  of  this 
book  will  be  convinced,  as  I was  in  my  journey  across 
the  widest  and  wildest  part  of  Brazil,  that  perhaps  a 
few  hundreds  would  be  a more  correct  estimate.  Count- 
ing half-castes,  second,  third,  and  fourth  crosses,  and 
Indians  who  have  entirely  adopted  Portuguese  ways, 
language,  and  clothes,  they  may  perhaps  amount  to 
several  thousand  — but  that  is  all. 

The  Jesuits  endeavoured  to  save  the  Indians  from  the 
too-enterprising  Bandeirantes,  with  the  result  that  the 

15 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


missions  were  destroyed,  and  the  missionaries  driven  away 
or  killed. 

Brazil  occupies  to-day  in  the  world’s  knowledge 
practically  the  same  position  that  forbidden  Tibet 
occupied  some  fifteen  or  twenty  years  ago.  It  was 
easier  to  travel  all  over  Brazil  centuries  ago  than 
now. 

The  Bandeirantes  became  extraordinarily  daring. 
In  1641  another  slave-hunting  Paulista  expedition  started 
out  to  sack  the  missions  of  Paraguay  and  make  great 
hauls  of  converted  Indians.  The  adventurers  invaded 
even  the  impenetrable  territory  of  the  Chaco.  But  his- 
tory tells  us  that  the  Jesuits,  who  were  well  prepared  for 
war,  were  not  only  able  to  trap  the  four  hundred  Paulista 
Bandeirantes  in  an  ambuscade  and  to  set  free  their  pris- 
oners, but  killed  a great  number  of  them,  one  hundred  and 
twenty  of  the  adventurous  Bandeirantes  thus  supplying 
a handsome  dinner  for  the  cannibal  Chaco  Indians. 
Infuriated  at  the  reverse,  the  survivors  of  the  expedition 
destroyed  all  the  missions  and  Indian  villages  upon  their 
passage,  not  one  escaping.  They  came  to  grief,  however, 
in  the  end.  Only  a few  returned  home  to  tell  the  tale. 
That  lesson  practically  ended  the  slave-hunting  expedi- 
tions on  a large  scale  of  the  Bandeirantes,  but  not  the 
expeditions  of  parties  in  search  of  gold  and  diamonds, 
many  of  which  were  extraordinarily  successful.  Minor 
expeditions  were  undertaken,  in  which  Paulista  adven- 
turers were  employed  under  contract  in  various  parts  of 
Brazil  for  such  purposes  as  to  fight  the  Indians  or  to 
break  up  the  so-called  Republic  of  the  Palmeiras  — an 
unpleasant  congregation  of  negroes  and  Indians. 

The  astonishing  success  which  the  dauntless  Paulistas 
had  obtained  everywhere  made  them  thirst  for  gold  and 
diamonds,  which  they  knew  existed  in  the  interior.  They 
set  out  in  great  numbers  — men,  women,  and  children  — 
in  search  of  wealth  and  fresh  adventure.  Several  of  the 

16 


THE  MUNICIPAL  THEATRE,  RIO  DE  JANEIRO 


BARON  I)E  RIO  BRANCO. 


DAUNTLESS  ADVENTURERS 


towns  in  distant  parts  of  the  interior  of  Brazil  owe  their 
origin  to  this  great  band  of  adventurers,  especially  in  the 
section  of  Brazil  now  called  Minas  Geraes.  The  adven- 
turers were  eventually  out-numbered  and  overpowered  by 
swarms  of  Brazilians  from  other  parts  of  the  country, 
and  by  Portuguese  who  had  quickly  arrived  in  order  to 
share  in  the  wealth  discovered  by  the  Paulistas.  They 
finally  had  to  abandon  the  mines  which  they  had 
conquered  at  an  appalling  loss  of  human  life. 

The  ardour  of  the  Paulistas  was  quelled  but  not 
extinguished.  About  the  year  1718  they  started  afresh 
to  the  northwest  in  the  direction  of  the  Cuyaba  River 
and  of  Goyaz,  where  they  had  learnt  that  gold  and 
diamonds  of  great  beauty  were  to  be  found.  So  many 
joined  in  these  adventurous  expeditions  that  Sao  Paulo 
was  left  almost  depopulated.  That  is  how  those  immense 
territories  of  Goyaz  and  Matto  Grosso  were  discovered 
and  annexed  to  Sao  Paulo,  but  eventually,  owing  to  their 
size,  these  became  split  up  into  capitaneas,  then  into  states. 

The  Paulistas  were  great  fighters.  In  1739  they  were 
able  to  drive  away  the  Spaniards  from  Rio  Grande  do 
Sul  and  force  them  to  retreat  into  Uruguay.  After  many 
years  of  vicissitudes  in  war  and  exploration  — after 
phases  of  prosperity,  oppression,  and  even  of  almost  total 
ruin,  owing  to  maladministration  and  official  greed  — 
things  began  to  look  up  again  for  Sao  Paulo,  when  the 
port  of  Santos  was  thrown  open  to  the  trade  of  the  world, 
in  1808.  The  history  of  Brazil  during  the  last  hundred 
years  is  too  well  known  to  be  repeated  here. 

During  the  last  few  years  the  State  of  Sao  Paulo  has 
attained  amazing  prosperity,  principally  from  the  export 
of  coffee  — perhaps  the  most  delicious  coffee  in  the  world. 
Although  nearly  all  the  rivers  of  the  State  of  Sao  Paulo 
are  absolutely  useless  for  navigation,  owing  to  dangerous 
rapids,  the  State  is  intersected  by  innumerable  streams, 
large  and  small,  of  great  importance  for  purposes  of 
Vol.  i. —2  17 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


irrigation  and  for  the  generation  of  electric  power.  The 
most  important  harbour  in  the  State  is  Santos.  Ubatuba, 
Sao  Sebastiao,  Iguape,  and  Carranca  are  ports  of  less 
consequence.  It  is  principally  from  Santos  that  the 
exportation  of  coffee  takes  place. 

The  State  extends  roughly  in  a parallelogram  from 
the  ocean,  southeast,  to  the  Parana  River,  northwest; 
between  the  Rio  Grande,  to  the  north,  and  the  Rio 
Paranapanema,  to  the  south,  the  latter  being  two  tribu- 
taries of  the  Parana  River.  The  State  can  be  divided  into 
two  distinct  zones,  one  comprising  the  low-lying  lands  of 
the  littoral,  the  second  the  tablelands  of  the  interior, 
northwest  of  the  Serra  Cadias,  Serra  do  Paranapiacaba, 
and  Serra  do  Mar  — along  or  near  the  sea-coast.  The 
first  zone  by  the  sea  is  extremely  hot  and  damp,  with 
swampy  and  sandy  soil  often  broken  up  by  spurs  from  the 
neighbouring  hill  ranges.  It  is  well  suited  to  the  cultiva- 
tion of  rice.  The  second  zone,  which  covers  practically  all 
the  elevated  country  between  the  coast  ranges  and  the 
Parana  River,  is  extraordinarily  fertile,  with  a fairly  mild 
climate  and  abundant  rains  during  the  summer  months. 
During  the  winter  the  days  are  generally  clear  and  dry. 

It  is  in  that  second  zone  that  immense  coffee 
plantations  are  to  be  found,  the  red  soil  typical  of  that 
tableland  being  particularly  suitable  for  the  cultivation 
of  the  coffee  trees. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  here  to  go  into  detailed  statistics, 
but  it  may  be  sufficient  to  state,  on  the  authority  of  the 
Directoria  de  Estatistica  Commercial  of  Rio  de  Janeiro, 
that  during  the  first  eleven  months  of  the  year  1912, 
10,465,435  sacks  of  coffee  were  exported  from  Brazil  — 
mostly  from  Sao  Paulo  — showing  an  increase  of  548,854 
sacks  on  eleven  months  of  the  previous  year.  That  means 
a sum  of  <£40,516,006  sterling,  or  £5,218,564  more  than 
the  previous  year;  the  average  value  of  the  coffee  being, 
in  1912,  58,071  reis,  or,  taking  the  pound  sterling  at 

18 


CATTLE  BREEDING 


15  milreis,  <£3  17s.  5yod.  a sack — an  increase  in  price  of 
4,628  milreis  = 6s.  2 d.  per  sack,  on  the  sales  of  1911. 

The  other  exports  from  the  State  of  Sao  Paulo  are 
flour,  mandioca,  cassava,  bran,  tanned  hides,  horns,  fruit 
(pineapples,  bananas,  cocoanuts,  abacates  [alligator 
pears],  oranges,  tangerines,  etc.),  wax,  timber  (chiefly 
jacaranda  or  rosewood),  a yearly  decreasing  quantity  of 
cotton,  steel  and  iron,  mica,  goldsmith’s  dust,  dried  and 
preserved  fish,  scrap  sole  leather,  salted  and  dry  hides, 
wool,  castor  seed  or  bean,  crystal,  mate,  rice,  sugar,  rum 
(aguardiente) , and  other  articles  of  minor  importance. 

The  area  of  the  State  of  Sao  Paulo  has  been  put  down 
at  290,876  square  kilometres. 

Its  population  in  1908  was  calculated  at  3,397,000,  and 
it  had  then  more  inhabitants  to  the  square  kilometre  than 
any  other  part  of  Brazil.  It  is  useless  to  give  actual 
figures  of  the  population,  for  none  are  reliable.  Although 
this  State  is  the  most  civilized  in  Brazil,  yet  a good  portion 
of  its  western  territory  is  still  practically  a terra  incognita, 
so  that  even  the  best  official  figures  are  mere  guesswork. 

Owing  to  the  wonderful  foresight  of  that  great  man, 
Antonio  Prado  — to  my  mind  the  greatest  man  in  Brazil 
— a new  industry  has  been  started  in  the  State  of  Sao 
Paulo,  which  promises  to  be  as  lucrative  and  perhaps  more 
so  than  the  cultivation  of  coffee.  It  is  the  breeding  of 
cattle  on  a gigantic  scale,  the  magnificent  prairies  near 
Barretos,  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State,  being  em- 
ployed for  the  purpose.  Slaughter-houses  and  refrigerat- 
ing plants  of  the  most  modern  type  are  to  be  established 
there,  and  with  such  a practical  man  as  Antonio  Prado  at 
the  head  of  the  enterprise,  the  scheme  is  bound,  I should 
think,  to  be  a success.  With  the  population  of  the  Re- 
public gradually  increasing  — it  could  be  centupled  and 
there  would  still  be  plenty  of  room  for  as  many  people 
again  — the  Sao  Paulo  State  will  one  day  supply  most  of 
the  meat  for  the  principal  markets  of  Brazil.  A good 

19 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


proportion  of  the  cattle  which  will  eventually  be  raised  on 
the  marvellous  campos  of  Matto  Grosso  and  Goyaz,  and 
destined  to  Southern  Brazilian  markets,  will  find  its  way 
to  the  coast  via  Sao  Paulo.  The  rest  will  travel  perhaps 
via  Minas  Geraes. 

For  some  years  cattle  breeding  has  been  carried  on 
successfully  enough,  but  on  a comparatively  small  scale, 
in  this  State.  Experiments  have  been  made  in  crossing 
the  best  local  breeds,  principally  the  Caracu,  with  good 
foreign  breeds,  such  as  the  Jersey,  Durham,  and  Dutch 
stocks.  Pigs  of  the  Berkshire,  Yorkshire,  Canasters,  and 
Tatus  type  are  the  favourites  in  Sao  Paulo,  and  seem  to 
flourish  in  that  climate. 

Sheep-breeding  is  also  successful,  and  would  be  even 
more  so  if  proper  care  were  taken  of  the  animals.  Of  the 
wool-producing  kinds,  those  preferred  are  the  Leicester, 
Merino,  Oxford,  and  Lincoln,  the  Oxford  having  already 
produced  quite  excellent  results. 

The  Government  of  the  State,  I understand,  is  at 
present  giving  great  attention  to  the  matter,  and  is  using 
discrimination  in  the  selection  of  suitable  breeds  from 
foreign  countries,  in  order  to  procure  the  best  animals  of 
various  kinds  for  the  production  of  meat,  butter,  and  hides. 
I also  believe  that  an  endeavour  is  being  made  to  produce 
in  the  State  a good  breed  of  horses  for  military  and  other 
purposes. 

The  elevation  of  Sao  Paulo  city  is  2,450  feet  above  the 
sea  level. 

Thanks  to  the  kindness  of  the  President  of  the 
Paulista  Railway,  a special  saloon  carriage  was  placed  at 
my  disposal  when  I left  Sao  Paulo,  and  a railway 
inspector  sent  to  escort  me  and  furnish  me  with  any 
information  I required.  I preferred  travelling  seated  in 
front  of  the  engine,  where  I could  obtain  the  full  view  of 
the  interesting  scenery  through  which  we  were  to  pass. 

The  Paulista  Railway  is  interesting,  as  it  was  the  first 

20 


THE  PAULISTA  RAILWAY 

line  in  Brazil  constructed  entirely  with  Brazilian  capital. 
The  line  was  begun  in  1870,  but  since  that  date  several 
extensions  have  been  successfully  laid  out.  Up  to  1909 
the  lines  owned  and  worked  by  the  Paulista  Railway  were 
the  1.60-metre-gauge  trunk  line  from  Jundiahy  to 
Descalvado  (north  of  Sao  Paulo),  and  the  two  branch 
lines  of  the  same  gauge  from  Cordeiro  to  Rio  Claro; 
Laranja  Azeda  to  S.  Veridiana;  the  two  branch  lines  of 
0.60  metre-gauge  from  Descalvado  to  Aurora  and  from 
Porto  Ferreira  to  S.  Rita  do  Passo  Quatro.  Then  they 
possessed  the  one-metre  trunk  line  from  Rio  Claro  to 
Araraquara,  with  the  following  branch  and  extension 
lines:  Visconde  de  Rio  Claro  to  Jahu;  Araraquara  to 
Jaboticabal;  Bebedouro  to  Barretos;  Mogy  Guasso 
Rincao  to  Pontal;  S.  Carlos  to  S.  Euxodia  and  Rib. 
Bonita;  Agudos  to  Dois  Corregos  and  Piratininga;  and 
the  loop  line  through  Brotas.  Of  the  total  charters  for 
1,114  kilometres,  261  have  been  granted  by  the  Federal 
Government  and  are  under  their  supervision,  whereas  583 
kilometres  are  under  charter  granted  by  the  State  of  Sao 
Paulo. 

The  following  statistics  taken  from  the  last  Brazilian 
Year  Book  show  the  wonderful  development  of  the 
passenger  and  goods  traffic  on  the  Paulista  Railway: 


Line  open. 

Kilometers. 

Passengers 

carried. 

Goods  carried, 
including 
Coffee. 

Transport  of 
Animals. 

Baggage  and 
Parcels. 

1872 

38 

33,531 

Tons. 

26,150 

4,919 

Tons. 

1890  

250 

348,150 

300,857 

5,768 

2,613 

1908  

1,154 

1,084,081 

959,742 

36,072 

12,558 

At  Jundiahy  the  Paulista  Company  has  extensive 
repair  shops  for  engines.  Formerly  they  had  there  also 
shops  for  building  carriages,  but  these  are  now  constructed 
at  the  Rio  Claro  Station,  partly  from  material  which 

21 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

comes  from  abroad.  The  rolling  stock  of  the  Company  is 
excellent  in  every  way,  quite  up-to-date,  and  kept  in  good 
condition,  almost  too  luxurious  for  the  kind  of  passengers 
it  has  to  carry. 

It  is  principally  after  leaving  Campinas  that  the 
scenery  of  the  line  is  really  beautiful  — wonderful,  undu- 
lating country  — but  with  no  habitations,  except,  perhaps, 
a few  miserable  sheds,  miles  and  miles  apart.  At  Nueva 
Odena  the  Government  is  experimenting  with  Russian 
and  Italian  labourers,  for  whom  it  has  built  a neat  little 
colony.  After  a time  each  labourer  becomes  the  owner  of 
the  land  he  has  cultivated.  I am  told  that  the  colony  is 
a success. 


22 


CHAPTER  II 


Coffee  — The  Dumont  Railway 

MY  object  in  travelling  by  the  Paulista  Railway  was 
to  inspect  the  line  on  my  way  to  the  immense 
coffee  plantations  at  Martinho  Prado,  owned  by 
Conselheiro  Antonio  Prado.  The  estate  is  situated  at  an 
elevation  of  1,780  feet  above  the  sea  level,  upon  fertile 
red  soil.  It  is  difficult,  without  seeing  them,  to  realize 
the  extent  and  beauty  of  those  coffee  groves:  miles  and 
miles  of  parallel  lines  of  trees  of  a healthy,  dark  green, 
shining  foliage.  A full-grown  coffee  tree,  as  everybody 
knows,  varies  in  height  from  six  feet  to  fourteen  or  fifteen 
feet  according  to  the  variety,  the  climate,  and  quality  of 
the  soil.  It  possesses  a slender  stem,  straight  and 
polished,  seldom  larger  than  three  to  five  inches  in  diam- 
eter, from  which  shoot  out  horizontal  or  slightly  oblique 
branches  — the  larger  quite  close  to  the  soil — which 
gradually  diminish  in  length  to  its  summit.  The  small, 
white  blossom  of  the  coffee  tree  is  not  unlike  jessamine 
in  shape  and  also  in  odour.  The  fruit,  green  in  its  youth, 
gradually  becomes  of  a yellowish  tint  and  then  a bright 
vermilion  when  quite  ripe  — except  in  the  Botucatu  kind, 
which  remains  yellow  to  the  end. 

The  fruit  contains  within  a pericarp  a pulp  slightly 
viscous  and  sweet,  within  which,  covered  by  a membrane, 
are  the  two  hemispherical  coffee  beans  placed  face  to  face 
and  each  covered  by  a tender  pellicle.  It  is  not  unusual 
to  find  a single  bean  in  the  fruit,  which  then  takes  the 
shape  of  an  ellipsoid  grooved  in  its  longer  axis;  and  this 

23 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


is  called  moka  owing  to  the  resemblance  which  it  bears 
to  the  coffee  of  that  name. 

The  coffee  chiefly  cultivated  in  Brazil  is  the  Arabica 
L.  and  to  a small  extent  also  the  Liberica  Hiern,  but 
other  varieties  have  developed  from  those,  and  there  are 
crosses  of  local  kinds,  such  as  the  Maragogype,  which 
takes  its  name  from  the  place  where  it  was  discovered 
(Bahia  Province).  Those  varieties  are  locally  known  as 
Creoulo,  Bourbon,  Java,  Botucatu  (or  yellow  bean 
coffee),  the  Maragogype,  and  the  Goyaz.  The  Creoulo, 
the  Botucatu,  and  the  Maragogype  are  wilder  and  show 
more  resistance  than  the  Java  and  Bourbon  sorts,  which 
are  nevertheless  more  productive  under  good  conditions 
and  with  careful  cultivation,  which  the  first  three  qualities 
do  not  exact. 

The  coffee  tree  is  a most  serviceable  plant,  every  part 
of  which  can  be  used.  Its  wood  is  much  used  in  cabinet 
work,  and  makes  excellent  fuel;  its  leaves,  properly 
torrefied,  and  then  stewed  in  boiling  water,  give  a palata- 
ble kind  of  tea;  from  the  sweet  pulp  of  its  fruit  an 
agreeable  liqueur  can  be  distilled;  from  its  beans  can  be 
made  the  beverage  we  all  know,  and  from  the  shells  and 
residue  of  the  fruit  a good  fertilizer  can  be  produced. 

The  chemical  examination  of  the  cinders  of  the  coffee 
bean  shows  that  it  contains  65.25  per  cent  of  potash,  12.53 
per  cent  of  phosphoric  acid,  11.00  per  cent  of  magnesia, 
6.12  per  cent  of  lime,  and  some  traces  of  sulphuric  and 
salicylic  acid,  oxide  of  iron,  and  chlorine. 

An  interesting  study  has  been  made  by  Dr.  Dafert 
of  the  weight  of  the  various  components  of  the  coffee 
tree  at  different  ages,  from  which  it  appears  that  the 
proportion  of  potash  increases  progressively  in  the  organs 
as  they  are  more  and  more  distant  from  the  roots.  The 
contrary  is  the  case  with  lime  and  phosphoric  acid,  which 
preponderate  generally  in  the  seeds. 

With  this  knowledge  a scientific  cultivator  can  judge 

24 


COFFEE 


exactly  how  to  treat  the  exigencies  of  the  different  trees 
at  different  ages.  Naturally,  the  condition  of  the  soil  has 
to  be  taken  into  consideration  in  any  case.  According 
to  experiments  made  by  Dr.  Dafert,  each  kilo  of  coffee 
beans  has  extracted  from  the  soil:  potash  0.7880  gramme; 
phosphoric  acid  0.4020  gramme;  magnesia  0.3240 
gramme;  lime  0.1470  gramme. 

These  experiments  apply  merely  to  coffee  grown  in 
Brazil,  and  are  no  doubt  at  variance  with  experiments  on 
coffee  grown  elsewhere.  Taking  all  things  into  consider- 
ation, it  has  been  proved  by  chemical  analysis  that  the 
Brazilian  coffee  comes  as  near  as  any  in  its  components 
to  what  the  normal  or  perfect  coffee  should  be. 

The  soil,  the  elevation  of  the  land,  the  zone,  and  the 
climate  naturally  have  considerable  influence  on  the 
quality  of  the  coffee.  The  Coffea  Arabica  seems  to  feel 
happy  enough  in  a temperate  zone  and  at  elevations  from 
1,500  to  2,300  feet.  The  States  of  Sao  Paulo,  Minas 
Geraes,  Rio  de  Janeiro,  and  Espirito  Santo  fulfil  most,  if 
not  all,  these  conditions. 

The  coffee  trees  can  stand  cold,  if  not  of  long  duration, 
down  to  freezing-point,  as  well  as  a fairly  high  tem fea- 
ture. Unlike  the  Liberia  coffee,  they  fare  better  on 
undulating  or  broken  ground  than  on  the  flat. 

Two  distinct  seasons,  the  dry  and  the  rainy,  each  of 
about  six  months’  duration,  such  as  are  found  in  the 
above-mentioned  States  of  Brazil,  seem  perfectly  to  suit 
the  growth  of  the  coffee  trees.  The  trees  are  in  bloom 
for  three  or  four  days  some  time  during  the  months  of 
September  to  December.  If  the  rains  are  not  abundant 
when  the  trees  are  in  blossom  and  during  the  maturing  of 
the  fruits,  the  latter  do  not  develop  properly,  especially 
those  at  the  end  of  the  branches,  where  the  berries  become 
dry  before  their  time  or  even  do  not  form.  If  the  rain 
comes  too  long  before  the  trees  are  in  bloom,  it  causes 
the  blossoms  to  open  before  their  time  and  they  are  fre- 

25 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


quently  spoiled  by  the  cold  which  follows.  The  coffee 
beans  are  collected  in  April,  during  the  dry  weather. 

The  coffee  trees  are  very  sensitive  to  winds,  cold  or 
hot,  especially  when  blowing  continuously  in  the  same 
direction,  which  causes  the  undue  fall  of  leaves  and  rup- 
ture of  the  bark  at  the  neck  of  the  roots.  Wind,  indeed, 
is  one  of  the  most  dangerous  enemies  of  coffee  trees,  and 
it  is  to  obviate  this  danger  that  in  many  countries  — but 
not  in  Brazil  — a protecting  plantation  in  lines  of  other 
trees,  generally  useful  fruit  trees,  is  adopted,  in  order  to 
screen  the  coffee  trees  from  the  prevailing  wind,  as  well 
as  to  give  a further  income  from  the  fruit  produced. 

It  has  been  proved  that  even  from  good  trees  below 
a certain  altitude  the  coffee  is  of  inferior  quality,  while 
above  that  height  the  crop  becomes  irregular.  In  zones 
fully  exposed  to  the  sun,  the  quality  is  superior  to  that  of 
regions  where  the  sun  does  not  reach  or  reaches  for  only 
a short  portion  of  the  day. 

The  Coffea  Arabica  is  not  particularly  exacting  in  the 
quality  of  the  soil,  but  the  soil  on  which  it  flourishes  best 
is  that  formed  in  great  part  by  decomposed  vegetable 
matter,  as,  for  instance,  from  ancient  trees  mixed  with 
volcanic  earth,  such  as  the  famous  red  earth  of  the  State 
of  Sao  Paulo.  Volcanic  cinders  also  are  said  to  be 
wonderful  fertilizers  for  the  soil,  and  well  adapted  to 
the  welfare  of  coffee  trees. 

One  thing  is  undoubted,  and  that  is  that  the  State  of 
Sao  Paulo  possesses  the  ideal  soil  for  coffee  plantations. 
Analysis  has  shown  that,  curiously  enough,  the  soil  of 
Sao  Paulo  is  not  in  itself  very  rich.  It  has  an  insufficient 
quantity  of  fertilizing  substances,  particularly  of  lime; 
but  it  should  not  be  forgotten  that  locality  and  climatic 
conditions  must  be  taken  into  serious  consideration,  and 
that  we  must  not  be  misled  by  the  difference  between  the 
apparent  and  the  real  fertility  of  the  soil.  What  would 
be  a poor  soil  in  Europe  may  prove  to  be  an  excellent 

26 


THE  SOIL 


one  in  a tropical  country.  So  the  famous  “ red  earth  ” 
of  Sao  Paulo,  which  in  a drier  climate  would  be  sterile 
and  unproductive,  is  there  excellent  because  of  its 
extremely  permeable,  porous,  and  powdery  qualities. 

The  special  terms  used  for  naming  the  different  kinds 
of  earth  suitable  for  the  cultivation  of  coffee  are:  terra 
rocca  (red  earth),  massape,  salmorao , catanduva,  terra 
de  areia  (sand  earth),  picarra  (stony  earth),  and 
pedreguelho  (stony  earth). 

The  terra  roxa  is  an  argillaceous,  ferruginous  earth 
of  diabasic  origin,  occasionally  mixed  with  sand.  It  con- 
tains salicylic  acid,  oxide  of  iron,  alumina,  phosphoric  acid, 
oxide  of  manganese,  lime,  magnesia,  potash,  and  soda. 

The  massape,  originally  decomposed  gneiss-granitic 
rock  mixed  with  clay,  contains  oxide  of  iron.  Its  occa- 
sional blackness  is  due  to  the  decomposed  vegetable  matter 
it  embodies. 

The  salmorao  includes  in  its  formation  small  stones, 
indicating  the  incomplete  decomposition  of  the  rock  from 
which  it  originates. 

The  catanduva,  which  is  of  inferior  quality,  is  com- 
posed of  much  disintegrated  vegetable  matter  and  fine 
dust. 

The  names  of  the  other  kinds  of  earth  well  denote  their 
quality. 

One  reason  why  coffee  cultivation  is  so  popular  in 
Brazil  is  because  of  the  general  belief  that  no  trouble  is 
required  to  look  after  the  trees  — a very  mistaken  notion 
indeed.  There  is  a marked  difference  between  plantations 
carefully  looked  after  and  those  that  are  not.  More 
than  usual  care  must  be  taken  to  select  the  seed  for  new 
plantations.  The  young  plants  must  become  strong  in 
a nursery  and  then  be  transplanted  into  proper  soil,  the 
prudent  distance  between  trees  being  generally  from  nine 
to  twelve  feet.  For  the  convenience  of  collecting  the 
beans  and  keeping  the  soil  clean,  a perfect  alignment  in 

27 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


all  directions  is  necessary.  The  most  suitable  month  for 
planting  coffee  in  Brazil,  according  to  the  authority  of 
Dr.  Dafert,  is  the  month  of  July. 

Great  care  must  be  taken  of  the  trees  themselves  and 
of  the  soil  around  the  trees,  which  must  be  kept  clean  and 
absolutely  free  from  grass.  The  capillary  roots  of  the 
trees  extending  horizontally  near  the  surface  of  the  soil 
are  much  affected  by  the  presence  of  any  other  vegetation, 
and  by  the  collection  of  insects  which  this  produces  and 
harbours.  Frost,  rain,  and  the  heat  of  the  sun  naturally 
affect  the  trees  more  when  the  soil  is  dirty  than  when  kept 
clean.  Many  of  the  coffee  estates  suffer  considerably 
from  insufficient  labour.  The  effects  of  this  are  quickly 
visible  on  the  trees.  Artificial  fertilization  is  useful,  even 
necessary,  after  a number  of  years,  and  so  is  careful 
pruning,  in  order  to  keep  the  trees  healthy,  strong,  and 
clean. 

Coffee  trees  have  many  natural  enemies,  chiefly 
vegetable  and  animal  parasites,  which  mostly  attack  the 
leaves.  The  Hamularia  Goeldiana,  a parasite  not  unlike 
the  Cercospora  Coffeicola,  is  one  of  the  worst,  and  un- 
doubtedly the  chief  offender  in  Brazil,  although  great  is 
the  number  of  insects  prejudicial  to  the  trees.  The  most 
terrible  of  all,  perhaps,  are  the  ants  and  termites,  such  as 
the  Termes  opacus,  which  attack  and  destroy  the  roots  of 
young  trees.  The  cupim  ( Termes  album)  or  white  ant, 
and  the  carregador  or  sauba,  a giant  ant  with  which  we 
shall  get  fully  acquainted  later  on  our  journey,  are  im- 
placable enemies  of  all  plants.  Also  the  quen-quen , 
another  kind  of  ant.  These  ants  are  so  numerous  that  it 
is  almost  an  impossibility  to  extirpate  them.  Various 
ways  are  suggested  for  their  destruction,  but  none  are 
really  effective.  Certain  larvse,  flies,  and  cochinilla,  owing 
to  their  sucking  habits,  deposit  on  the  leaves  and  branches 
a viscous  sugary  substance,  which,  on  account  of  the  heat, 
causes  fermentation  known  locally  as  fumagina.  This 

28 


COLLECTION  OF  THE  BERRIES 


produces  great  damage.  Birds  pick  and  destroy  the 
berries  when  ripe;  and  caterpillars  are  responsible  for  the 
absolute  devastation  of  many  coffee  districts  in  the  Rio 
de  Janeiro  and  Sao  Paulo  States.  Other  pests  of  the 
Heteroptera  type  attack  the  roots  to  such  an  extent  as  to 
cause  the  death  of  the  trees. 

Among  the  diseases  of  the  trees  are  the  Aphelencus 
Coffece  and  the  Loranthus  brasiliensis  — the  latter  a 
terrible  parasite,  which  quickly  envelops  the  stem  and 
branches  of  the  tree  and  ends  by  killing  it. 

The  collection  of  the  berries  is  the  busiest  process  in 
the  fazendas,  and  has  to  be  performed  with  considerable 
care,  for  some  of  the  berries  are  already  ripe  and  dried 
when  others  hidden  under  the  branches  have  not  yet 
reached  the  required  degree  of  maturity.  Aju  experienced 
hand  can  collect  from  400  to  450  litres  of  coffee  berries 
per  day.  It  takes  an  average  of  100  litres  of  coffee  berries 
to  produce  15  kilos  of  prepared  coffee  beans  ready  to  be 
shipped.  The  crop  is  not  the  same  every  year.  After  one 
plentiful  crop  there  generally  succeeds  one  year,  some- 
times two  or  three,  of  poor  — almost  insignificant  — 
collections,  varying  according  to  the  care  that  is  taken  of 
the  trees  and  the  soil. 

When  once  the  coffee  has  been  collected  and  trans- 
ported to  the  fazenda  in  baskets,  blankets,  and  sheets,  it 
is  necessary  to  remove  the  skin  and  viscous,  pulpy  matter 
which  envelop  the  beans.  This  is  done  partly  by  macera- 
tion in  water  tanks,  and  afterwards  by  drying  upon 
extensive,  flat  terraces,  tiled  or  cemented,  and  locally 
called  terreiro.  The  process  of  drying  by  machinery  has 
not  been  adopted  in  Brazil;  principally  because  of  its  high 
cost.  The  coffee  is  first  placed  for  some  days  in  mounds 
on  the  terraces,  until  fermentation  of  the  outer  skin  begins, 
which  afterwards  hastens  desiccation  when  coffee  is  spread 
flat  in  a thin  layer  on  the  terraces.  When  once  the  coffee 
berries  have  been  freed  from  their  pulpy  envelope  and 

29 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


skin,  the  desiccation,  if  the  weather  is  propitious,  takes 
place  in  a few  days.  Care  must  be  taken  to  move  the 
berries  constantly,  so  that  they  dry  evenly  on  all  sides, 
as  perfect  desiccation  is  necessary  in  order  to  preserve 
the  coffee  in  good  condition  after  it  is  packed  for 
shipment. 

There  are  two  ways  of  preparing  coffee  for  export: 
the  humid  and  the  dry.  In  the  humid  process  the  berries 
are  placed  in  a special  machine  called  despolpadore , which 
leaves  the  beans  merely  covered  and  held  together  in 
couples  by  the  membrane  immediately  enclosing  them 
after  the  skin  and  viscous,  sugary  coating  have  been 
removed.  Those  coffees  are  called  in  commerce  lavados, 
or  washed. 

The  dry  process  consists  in  removing  part  of  the  pulp 
and  membrane  in  a special  machine  and  a series  of  venti- 
lators after  the  berries  have  been  skinned  and  dried.  They 
are  then  quite  ready  for  export. 

The  preparation  of  coffee  from  the  drying  terraces 
is  slightly  more  complicated.  The  coffee  passes  through  a 
first  ventilator,  which  frees  it  from  impurities  such  as 
earth,  stems,  stones,  filaments,  etc.;  from  this  it  is  con- 
veyed  by  means  of  an  elevator  into  the  descciscador,  where 
the  membrane  is  removed.  Subsequently  it  passes  through 
a series  of  other  ventilators,  which  eliminate  whatever 
impurities  have  remained  and  convey  the  coffee  into  a 
polishing  machine  (brunidor) . There  the  coffee  is  sub- 
jected to  violent  friction,  which  not  only  removes  the  last 
atoms  of  impurity,  but  gives  the  beans  a finishing  polish. 
The  coffee  is  then  ready  for  the  market. 

I spent  a most  instructive  day  inspecting  the  fazenda 
of  Conselheiro  Antonio  Prado  and  having  things  clearly 
explained  by  his  intelligent  overseer,  Mr.  Henrique  P. 
Ribeiro. 

From  that  place  I drove  across  country  for  miles  and 
miles,  through  endless  groves  of  coffee  trees,  as  far  as  the 

30 


DR.  PASSOS. 


ANTONIO  PRADO S COFFEE  ESTATE. 


COFFEE  ESTATES 


next  great  coffee  estate,  belonging  to  the  Dumont  Com- 
pany, an  English  concern,  with  an  authorized  capital  of 
£800,000,  the  estates  being  valued  at  £1,200,000.  It  is 
not  often  one  sees  an  estate  so  beautifully  managed  and 
looked  after  in  a country  like  Brazil.  The  buildings,  the 
machinery,  the  “ drying  terraces,”  everything  was  in  capi- 
tal order.  To  indicate  on  what  scale  the  company  does 
business,  it  will  be  sufficient  to  state  that  in  1911  the  coffee 
crop  amounted  to  109,368  hundredweight,  which  realized 
on  a gross  average  56s.  10 Yod.  per  hundredweight.  This 
crop  was  not  as  plentiful  as  in  the  previous  year,  when 
110,558  hundredweight  were  harvested.  The  gross  profit 
for  the  year  up  to  June  21,  1911  was  £123,811  2s.  5d., 
which,  less  London  charges,  still  showed  the  substantial 
sum  of  £119,387  11s.  8 d.  There  had  been  a considerable 
rise  in  the  rate  at  which  coffee  was  sold  in  1911 — viz., 
56s.  lO^d.  per  hundredweight  as  compared  with  41s.  8 Yod. 
the  previous  year;  but  notwithstanding  the  high  price, 
the  high  rate  of  exchange,  and  the  cost  of  laying  the  coffee 
down  in  London — which  had  risen  on  the  estate  by  Is. 
lF/od.  and  by  Is.  3*4 d.  in  respect  of  charges  between  the 
estate  and  London  — the  Company  had  been  able  to  earn 
a profit  of  20s.  4 3/±d.  per  hundredweight. 

I was  taken  round  the  estate  by  Mr.  J.  A.  Davy,  the 
general  manager,  whose  good  and  sensible  work  was 
noticeable  at  every  turn.  The  trees  seemed  in  excellent 
condition  and  likely  to  have  a long  life  on  the  specially 
suitable,  rich  red  soil,  where  sufficient  breathing  space 
was  allowed  to  maintain  them  in  good  health.  The  soil 
was  of  such  unusual  richness  in  that  particular  spot  that 
no  artificial  stimulation  was  required  in  order  to  keep  the 
trees  healthy  and  vigorous.  One  could  walk  for  miles 
and  miles  along  the  beautiful  groves  of  coffee  trees, 
clean-looking  with  their  rich,  deep  green  foliage. 

There  seemed  to  be  no  great  difficulty  on  the  Dumont 
estate  in  obtaining  sufficient  labour  — greatly  owing,  I 

31 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


think,  to  the  fair  way  in  which  labourers  were  treated. 
Mr.  Davy  told  me  that  over  an  area  of  13,261  acres  a 
crop  had  been  maintained  which  averaged  8I4  hundred- 
weight per  acre. 

Experiments  have  also  been  made  on  the  Dumont 
estate  (at  an  elevation  of  2,100  feet  above  the  sea  level), 
chiefly,  I believe,  to  satisfy  the  wish  of  shareholders  in 
London,  in  the  cultivation  of  rubber,  but  it  did  not  prove 
a success  — as  was,  after  all,  to  be  expected.  It  is  not 
easy  to  make  the  majority  of  people  understand  that 
coffee  grows  lustily  in  that  particular  part  of  the  State  of 
Sao  Paulo  mainly  because  of  the  eminently  suitable  qual- 
ity of  the  soil;  but  it  does  not  at  all  follow  that  soil  or 
climatic  conditions  which  are  good  for  coffee  are  suitable 
for  rubber  trees,  or  vice  versa.  In  the  case  of  the  Dumont 
estate,  although  the  best  possible  land  was  chosen  and 
three  different  varieties  of  rubber  — the  Para,  Ceara,  and 
the  Castilloa  — were  experimented  with,  it  was  soon  dis- 
covered that  only  one  kind — the  Ceara  — attained  any 
growth  at  all,  and  this  gave  very  little  latex,  owing  un- 
doubtedly to  the  nature  of  the  soil  and  the  climate.  The 
cost  of  extracting  the  latex  was  prohibitive.  With  wages 
at  four  shillings  a day,  a man  could  collect  about  one-third 
of  a pound  of  latex  a day.  Rubber  trees  in  that  region 
could  not  be  expected  to  produce  more  than  one-fifth  of 
a pound  of  rubber  a year,  so  that  the  cost  of  collecting 
and  shipping  rubber  from  ten-year-old  trees  would 
amount  to  3$.  3d.  per  pound,  without  counting  the  cost 
of  planting  and  upkeep. 

By  a special  train  on  the  Dumont  Railway  line,  I 
travelled  across  beautiful  country  — all  coffee  plantations 
— the  property  of  the  Dumont  Company  and  of  Colonel 
Schmidt,  the  “ Coffee  King,”  whose  magnificent  estate 
lies  along  the  railway.  I regretted  that  I could  not  visit 
this  great  estate  also,  but  I was  most  anxious  to  get  on 
with  my  journey  and  get  away  as  soon  as  possible  from 

32 


THE  COFFEE  KING 


civilization.  It  was  pleasant  to  see  that  no  rivalry  existed 
between  the  various  larger  estates,  and  I learnt  that  the 
Dumont  Railway  actually  carried  — for  a consideration, 
naturally  — all  the  coffee  from  the  Schmidt  estate  to  the 
Riberao  Preto  station  on  the  Mogyana  Railway. 


Vol.  I. — 3 


33 


CHAPTER  III 


On  the  Mogyana  Railway 

I ARRIVED  at  Riberao  Preto  at  3.45  p.m.  on  March 
twenty-ninth.  Riberao  Preto  — 421  kilometres 
north-northwest  of  Sao  Paulo  and  500  kilometres 
from  Santos  — is  without  doubt  the  most  important 
commercial  centre  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State  of  Sao 
Paulo,  and  is  a handsome,  active  city,  neat  and  clean- 
looking, with  an  Italian,  Spanish,  and  Portuguese  popu- 
lation of  some  25,000  souls.  Its  elevation  above  the  sea 
level  is  1,950  feet.  The  people  of  Riberao  Preto  subsist 
chiefly  on  the  coffee  industry.  There  are  one  or  two 
theatres  in  the  city,  the  principal  being  a provincial  one. 
There  are  several  hotels  of  various  degrees  of  cleanliness 
and  several  industrial  establishments.  Unlike  other  cities 
of  the  interior,  Riberao  Preto  boasts  of  a good  supply  of 
agua  'potavel  (drinking  water) , and  the  town  is  lighted  by 
electric  light. 

The  value  of  land  in  the  vicinity  of  Riberao  Preto 
varies  from  300  milreis  to  1,500  milreis  for  the  alqueire , 
a price  far  superior  to  that  of  other  localities  on  the  same 
line,  where  cultivated  land  can  be  purchased  at  300  milreis 
an  alqueire  and  pasture  land  at  100  milreis.  An  alqueire 
is  reckoned  at  10,000  square  boapas,  a boa^a  being  about 
6 1/2  feet,  or  a little  over  two  metres. 

At  Riberao  Preto  I was  to  leave  the  Dumont  Railway. 
Arrangements  had  been  made  for  me  to  meet  at  that 
station  a special  Administration  car,  which  was  to  be 
attached  to  the  ordinary  express  train  on  the  Mogyana 
Railway. 


34 


THE  MOGYANA  RAILWAY 


I had  been  warned  at  the  Dumont  estate  that  a brass 
band  had  been  sent  to  the  Riberao  Preto  station,  where 
some  notabilities  were  awaiting  my  arrival  in  order  to 
greet  me  with  the  usual  speeches  of  welcome.  As  I 
particularly  dislike  public  speaking  and  publicity,  I man- 
aged to  mix  unseen  among  the  crowd,  which  expected  to 
see  an  explorer  fully  armed  and  in  khaki  clothes  of  special 
cut,  as  represented  in  illustrated  papers.  It  was  with 
some  relief  that  I saw  them  departing,  with  disappointed 
faces,  and  with  their  brass  instruments,  big  drums  and  all, 
after  they  had  entered  the  luxurious  special  car  placed  at 
my  disposal  and  found  it  empty  — I humbly  watching  the 
proceedings  some  distance  away  from  the  platform. 

Thanks  to  the  splendid  arrangements  which  had  been 
made  for  me  by  Dr.  Jose  Pereira  Rebom^as,  the  President 
of  the  Mogyana,  I was  able  to  take  a most  instructive 
journey  on  that  line,  whose  Traffic  Superintendent,  Mr. 
Vicente  Bittencourt,  had  been  instructed  to  accompany 
me  and  furnish  all  possible  information. 

A few  words  of  praise  are  justly  due  to  the  Mogyana 
line  for  the  excellence  of  the  service  and  the  perfection  of 
the  rolling  stock.  I inspected  the  entire  train  and  was 
amazed  to  find  such  beautiful  and  comfortable  carriages, 
provided  with  the  latest  improvements  for  passengers  of 
all  classes.  It  is  seldom  I have  seen  in  any  country  a train 
look  so  “ smart  ” as  the  one  in  which  I travelled  from 
Riberao  Preto  to  the  terminus  of  the  line.  The  appoint- 
ments of  every  kind  were  perfect,  the  train  ran  in  excellent 
time,  and  very  smoothly  over  well-laid  rails.  The  special 
car  in  which  I travelled  was  “ palatial  and  replete  with 
every  comfort,”  if  I may  use  the  stock  words  invariably 
applied  to  railway  travelling. 

Here  are  a few  interesting  points  regarding  the 
Mogyana  Railway. 

By  a provincial  law  (Sao  Paulo)  of  March  21,  1872, 
a guaranteed  interest  of  seven  per  cent  on  a capital  of 

35 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


3.000. 000  milreis  was  granted  for  ninety  years,  for  the 
construction  of  a railway  of  one-metre  gauge  from 
Campinas  to  Mogymirim,  and  of  a branch  line  to  Amparo, 
to  the  northeast  of  Campinas  and  due  east  of  Inguary. 
By  a similar  law  of  March  20,  1875,  a guaranteed  interest 
was  granted  for  thirty  years  as  to  the  capital  of  2,500,000 
milreis  for  a prolongation  of  the  line  to  Casa  Blanca. 

By  a provincial  law  (Minas  Geraes)  of  October  1, 
1881,  another  guarantee  was  granted  of  seven  per  cent 
for  thirty  years,  upon  a maximum  capital  of  5,000,000 
milreis,  for  a continuation  of  the  railway  through  the 
provincial  territory  from  the  right  bank  of  the  Rio 
Grande  to  the  left  bank  of  the  Paranahyba  River. 
Finally,  by  a provincial  contract  of  Minas  Geraes  of 
October,  1884,  a further  guarantee  was  granted  of  seven 
per  cent  for  thirty  years,  on  a maximum  capital  of 

5.000. 000  milreis,  for  the  construction  of  the  prolongation 
of  the  railway  from  its  terminal  point  at  the  Rio  Grande 
as  far  as  the  Paranahyba,  via  the  city  of  Uberaba. 

In  view  of  other  important  concessions  obtained,  one 
may  consider  that  the  Mogyana  Company  is  perhaps  the 
most  important  railway  concern  in  Brazil,  up  to  the 
present  time.  It  does  great  credit  to  Brazilians  that  the 
railway  was  constructed  almost  entirely  by  capital  raised 
on  bonds  in  Brazil  itself,  the  only  foreign  loan  issued  in 
London  being  a sum  amounting  merely  to  ,£341,000  at 
an  interest  of  five  per  cent.  Between  the  years  1879  and 
1886  the  Company  returned  to  the  Government  at  Sao 
Paulo  the  interests  received,  thus  liquidating  its  debt.  A 
decree  of  October  18,  1890,  fixed  the  capital  spent  on  the 
Rio  Grande  line  and  a branch  to  Caldas  at  4,300,000 
milreis  gold  and  1,853,857.750  milreis  paper,  as  guarantee 
of  the  interest  of  six  per  cent  conceded  by  the  National 
Treasury. 

In  the  year  1900  the  value  of  interests  received 
amounted  to  3,190,520.418  milreis  in  paper,  and 

36 


A BRAZILIAN  CONCERN 


1,963,787.300  milreis  in  gold,  out  of  which  544,787.300 
milreis  were  in  debenture  bonds.  On  the  same  date  the 
value  of  interests  repaid  to  the  National  Treasury 
amounted  to  1,606,578.581  milreis  in  paper  currency. 

The  federalized  lines  of  the  Company  were:  from 
Riberao  Preto  to  Rio  Grande  (concession  of  1883)  ; from 
Rio  Grande  to  Araguary  (concession  of  1890)  ; with  a 
total  extension  of  472  kilometres,  and  a branch  line  from 
Cascavel  to  P090  de  Caldas,  77  kilometres,  the  last  17 
kilometres  of  which  were  in  the  Province  of  Minas  Geraes. 
The  extension  from  Rio  Grande  to  Araguary,  282 
kilometres,  was  also  situated  in  the  Province  of  Minas 
Geraes. 

Having  dodged  the  expectant  crowd  at  the  station 
unnoticed,  I did  not  go  with  the  Traffic  Superintendent, 
Mr.  Vicente  Bittencourt,  into  the  luxurious  special  car 
as  the  train  was  steaming  out  of  the  Riberao  Preto  station, 
but  preferred  to  travel  in  front  of  the  engine,  so  as  to 
get  a full  view  of  the  beautiful  scenery  along  the  line.  We 
went  at  a good  speed  over  gentle  curves  rounding  hillsides, 
the  grass  of  which  bent  under  a light  breeze.  Here  and 
there  stood  a minute  white  cottage  — almost  toy-like  — 
where  coffee  gatherers  lived.  On  the  left  we  had  a 
grandiose,  undulating  region  — what  the  Americans 
would  call  “ rolling  country  ” — combed  into  thousands 
of  parallel  lines  of  coffee  trees,  interrupted  at  intervals  by 
extensive  stretches  of  light  green,  grazing  land.  Only 
now  and  then,  as  the  engine  puffed  and  throbbed  under 
me,  did  I notice  a rectangle  of  dried,  brownish  yellow, 
where  the  farmers  had  grown  their  Indian  corn.  These 
patches  were  a great  contrast  to  the  interminable  mass  of 
rich,  dark  green  of  the  coffee  trees  and  the  light  green 
of  the  prairies. 

Near  these  patches,  prominently  noticeable  in  the 
landscape  because  so  scarce,  one  invariably  saw  groups 
of  low,  whitewashed  or  red-painted  houses,  mere  humble 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


sheds.  Where  the  land  was  not  yet  under  cultivation  — 
quite  a lot  of  it  — low  scrub  and  stunted  trees  far  apart 
dotted  the  landscape. 

As  the  express  dashed  through  villages,  goats  stam- 
peded in  all  directions ; sleepy  women  and  men  looked  at 
the  train  half  dazed,  as  it  went  by,  and  children,  with 
quite  a characteristic  gesture,  screened  their  eyes  with 
their  elbows  to  protect  them  from  the  dust  and  wind  the 
train  produced.  I was  astonished  to  notice  how  many 
fair-haired  children  one  saw,  curious  indeed  in  a popula- 
tion of  Latin  races  and  negroes.  That  golden  hair, 
however,  semed  gradually  to  grow  darker,  and  became 
almost  black  in  the  older  people. 

Hideous  barbed-wire  fences  gave  a certain  air  of 
civilization  to  those  parts,  but  the  landscape  was  never- 
theless getting  desolate  as  we  proceeded  farther  north. 
Except  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  habitations,  one  felt 
the  absolute  lack  of  animal  life.  Only  rarely  did  we  see 
a black  bird  of  extraordinary  elongated  form  dash 
frightened  across  the  railway  line,  much  too  fast  for  me 
to  identify  to  which  family  it  belonged. 

One  could  not  help  being  impressed  by  the  immensity 
of  the  landscape;  endless  sweeping  undulation  after 
undulation  spread  before  us,  but  not  a real  mountain  was 
in  sight.  It  was  like  a solid  ocean  of  magnified  propor- 
tions. Just  above  the  horizon-line  a large  accumulation 
of  globular  clouds  immaculately  white  intensified  the 
interesting  colour-scheme  of  greens  and  yellows  on  the 
earth’s  surface  to  its  full  value  by  contrast. 

The  large  proportion  of  cultivated  land  which  had 
impressed  me  so  much  in  the  vicinity  of  Riberao  Preto 
gradually  diminished;  and  at  sunset,  by  the  time  we  had 
reached  Butataes,  only  48  kilometres  farther  on,  hardly 
any  more  coffee  plantations  were  visible.  Only  fields  of 
short  grass  spread  before  us  on  all  sides.  An  occasional 
bunch  of  trees,  hiding  a humble  farmhouse,  could  be 

33 


THE  CITY  OF  FRANCA 


perceived  here  and  there,  but  there  was  no  other  sign  of 
life  upon  the  immense,  silent,  green  undulations  of 
symmetric  curves,  not  unlike  enormous  waves  of  the  sea. 

Farther  north  upon  the  Mogyana  line,  land  seemed 
to  diminish  in  price  considerably.  Its  quality  was  not  so 
good,  especially  for  coffee  plantations.  At  Batataes,  for 
instance,  548  kilometres  by  rail  from  the  coast,  prices  were 
cheaper.  Good  land  for  cultivation  could  be  obtained  at 
200  milreis,  and  campos  at  25  milreis  an  alqueire. 

Such  low  prices  were  general  north  of  Riberao  Preto, 
although  naturally  they  are  likely  to  increase  as  the 
country  is  slowly  opened  up  with  new  roads  and  railroads. 
Away  from  the  railway  the  price  of  land  was  much  lower. 

One  thing  that  particularly  struck  the  traveller 
straying  in  those  parts  was  the  poverty  of  all  the  minor 
towns  and  villages.  The  industrial  development  of  the 
larger  settlements  consisted  merely  of  a distillery  of 
“fire-water”  (aguardente) , or,  if  the  city  were  modern 
and  up-to-date,  of  a brewery,  the  only  two  profitable 
industries  in  those  regions. 

Batateas,  according  to  Brazilian  statistics,  was  stated 
to  “ deve  ter ” (“it  should  have  perhaps”)  some  five 
thousand  inhabitants.  The  zone  around  it  was  said  to  be 
suitable  for  coffee  growing;  in  fact,  the  municipality 
possessed  much  machinery  for  the  preparation  of  coffee. 

At  7.50  p.m.  punctually  — as  she  was  due  — the 
engine  steamed  into  the  Franca  station,  where  the  train 
was  to  halt  for  the  night.  The  passenger  traffic  was  not 
yet  sufficiently  extensive  on  that  line  to  allow  trains 
to  travel  continuously  during  the  twenty-four  hours. 
Passenger  trains  ran  only  in  the  daytime. 

I was  treated  with  the  greatest  consideration  while 
travelling  on  the  Mogyana.  Not  only  was  the  Admin- 
istration saloon  car,  containing  a comfortable  bedroom, 
placed  at  my  disposal,  but  telegrams  had  been  sent  all 
along  the  line  with  orders  to  supply  me  with  anything  I 

39 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


required.  At  Franca,  much  to  my  surprise,  I found  an 
imposing  dinner  of  sixteen  courses  waiting  for  me  in  the 
station  hotel,  with  repeated  apologies  from  the  pro- 
prietors that  they  could  not  produce  more,  as  the  telegram 
announcing  my  arrival  had  been  received  late.  On  no 
account  whatever  was  I allowed  — as  I wished  — to  pay 
for  anything.  I was  rather  interested  to  watch  in  the 
station  restaurant  the  wonderful  mixture  of  people  who 
had  assembled:  priests,  monks,  railway  porters,  com- 

mercial travellers  — some  black,  some  white,  some  a 
combination  of  the  two — all  sitting  together  in  a jovial 
manner,  sipping  coffee  or  devouring  a meal. 

The  city  of  Franca  itself,  2 kilometres  away  from  the 
station,  617  kilometres  from  the  sea  at  Santos,  528  kilo- 
metres from  Sao  Paulo,  was  in  the  most  remote  northerly 
corner  of  the  State  of  Sao  Paulo,  and  had  a population 
of  9,000  people  or  thereabout.  The  electric  light  had  been 
installed  in  the  town,  and  there  was  a theatre.  Much  diffi- 
culty was  experienced  in  obtaining  sufficient  water  for  the 
needs  of  the  population.  In  the  municipality  there  existed 
a number  of  machines  for  use  in  rice  and  coffee  culture, 
as  well  as  two  steam  saws,  a butter  and  a sugar  factory. 

There  were  several  trails  — so-called  roads  — branch- 
ing off  from  this  town  and  leading  to  Borda  de  Matta, 
Garimpo  das  Canoas,  Potrocinio  do  Sapucahy,  S.  Jose 
da  Bella  Vista,  etc. 

The  climate  was  healthy  and  delightful.  While  I was 
there,  the  Fahrenheit  thermometer  registered  76°  at  an 
elevation  of  3,450  feet.  With  a fairly  good  soil,  the 
municipality  could  produce  cereals  in  plenty  under  proper 
cultivation.  Land  was  cheap  enough  in  that  region  — 150 
milreis  per  alqueire  for  good  land  for  cultivation,  and  25 
to  30  milreis  per  alqueire  for  campos. 

We  proceeded  on  our  journey  north  the  next  morning, 
passing  through  Indaya,  3,450  feet  above  the  sea  level  — 
a settlement  boasting  of  two  houses  upon  the  highest 

40 


THE  RIO  GRANDE 


point  of  the  railway  line  in  the  State  of  Sao  Paulo.  We 
were  nearing  the  Rio  Grande,  or  Great  River,  which, 
flowing  in  a westerly  direction,  formed  in  that  region  the 
northern  boundary  of  the  State  of  Sao  Paulo  with  the 
State  of  Minas  Geraes.  As  we  came  near  the  river,  a 
greater  lack  of  cultivation  was  noticeable,  with  more 
extensive  zones  of  wooded  country,  especially  in  the 
depressions  of  the  land.  The  undulations  of  the  landscape 
were  more  accentuated  as  we  approached  the  Minas 
Geraes  province.  Clouds  hung  low  in  the  valleys,  and  we 
occasionally  went  through  banks  of  mist  not  unlike  those 
of  Scotland.  At  Chapadao  the  ground  was  more 
“accidente  " — to  use  an  appropriate  French  expression 
— with  deep  depressions  and  indentations  in  the  surface 
soil  caused  by  erosion. 

The  high  land  on  which  we  had  been  travelling 
between  Franca  and  Iga^aba,  the  station  after  Chapadao, 
gave  birth  on  the  west  to  several  important  tributaries  of 
the  Rio  Grande,  enumerated  below,  from  south  to  north: 
the  Rio  Salgado,  the  Rio  do  Carmo,  Riberao  Ponte  Nova, 
Riberao  Bandeira,  Rio  da  Soledade,  Riberao  S.  Pedro; 
on  the  east  was  the  Riberao  S.  Jesus,  also  a tributary  of 
the  Rio  Grande. 

As  the  train  sped  down  the  incline  towards  the  Rio 
Grande,  we  were  treated  to  magnificent  scenery  on  our 
right.  An  isolated  hill  stood  at  the  bottom  of  the  valley 
with  higher  mountains  on  either  side  of  it,  and,  beyond, 
a high,  flat-topped  plateau.  The  railway  line  skirted 
snake-like  along  the  hillside.  The  hill-tops  were  getting 
more  rounded  and  fairly  thickly  wooded.  As  we  got  to  a 
lower  elevation,  the  isolated  hill  assumed  the  appearance 
of  an  elephant’s  back.  A grassy  valley  several  miles  wide 
opened  up  before  us. 

At  Rifaina  station  we  had  reached  the  level  of  the 
banks  of  the  Rio  Grande,  that  is  to  say,  1,950  feet  above 
the  sea  level.  The  valley  of  the  river  was  formed,  in  this 

41 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


case  also,  by  erosion,  which  had  left  isolated  hills  in 
terraces,  one  with  as  many  as  six  distinct  terraces,  others 
with  rounded  backs.  All  plainly  showed  in  their  strati- 
fication, which  was  identical  with  that  of  the  surrounding 
elevations,  that  in  former  days  there  stood,  where  the 
valley  was  now,  a plateau  which  had  subsequently  been 
gradually  eroded  by  the  action  of  water  and  wind. 

Having  crossed  the  river,  we  arrived  at  Jaguara  — 
we  were  now  travelling  in  the  Minas  Geraes  Province 
• — where  a breakfast  awaited  us  of  rice,  pork,  dried  beef 
as  hard  as  leather,  omelette  with  shrimps  (a  much 
cherished  dish  in  those  parts) , beans,  mandioca,  and  coffee. 
Black  railway  porters,  firemen,  and  engine  drivers  all  sat 
round  the  table  and  ate  heartily,  the  meal  costing  two 
milreis,  or  about  2s.  8 d. 

The  railway  ran  almost  parallel  with  the  river  on  the 
north  side  round  the  immense  curve  which  the  Rio  Grande 
describes  in  that  particular  section.  We  passed  Sacra- 
mento elevation  1,850  feet,  and,  in  numerous  curves,  the 
railway  rose  by  a gradient  of  3^  per  cent  among  hills 
seemingly  worn  out  by  torrential  rains  into  rounded 
shapes  with  huge  gaps  between.  W e left  the  Rio  Grande, 
there  about  a hundred  yards  wide,  with  thickly  wooded 
banks  and  islands.  At  Conquista  we  had  again  reached 
an  elevation  of  2,350  feet,  but  we  still  continued  to  rise  by 
a gradient  of  2^  to  3 per  cent,  until  a pass  was  reached 
from  which  two  exquisite  panoramas  were  obtained.  One, 
particularly  interesting,  looked  over  Conquista,  with  its 
whitewashed  houses  — some  250  of  them  — and  red-tiled 
roofs  against  the  background  formed  by  the  rugged  sides 
of  the  natural  cauldron  worn  in  the  tableland  by  erosion. 

At  538  kilometres,  2,700  feet  above  the  sea  level,  a 
view  was  obtained  of  a small  coffee  plantation,  but  most 
of  the  country  around  was  scantily  wooded,  grassy  in 
places,  barren  in  others. 

The  railway,  having  descended  to  2,500  feet,  rose 

42 


TRAILS 


again  to  2,900  feet  near  Paneiras  station.  Then,  through 
beautiful  grazing  country,  gently  undulating,  we  de- 
scended and  mounted  and  went  round  sweeping  curves, 
which  formed  in  places  regular  loops  not  unlike  a horse- 
shoe. Two  pits  producing  a considerable  quantity  of 
lime  existed  some  two  kilometres  from  Paneiras.  Weak 
attempts  were  noticeable  here  and  there  at  growing  coffee. 
We  were  now  in  an  eminently  wonderful  pasture  land, 
getting  more  and  more  beautiful  as  we  neared  Uberaba, 
where  we  found  ourselves  on  almost  flat  country  at  an 
elevation  of  2,900  feet,  with  hardly  any  trees  at  all  and 
with  a delicious  climate.  The  town  of  Uberaba,  with 
some  12,000  people,  was  situated  at  a slightly  lower 
elevation  — only  2,700  feet. 

Uberaba  was  perhaps  the  most  important  distributing 
centre  in  the  western  part  of  Minas  Geraes,  for  many 
trails  branched  from  that  place  to  various  distant  points 
in  the  farther  interior.  The  most  important  trail  was  the 
one  to  Sta.  Rita  do  Paranahyba,  thence  to  the  capital  of 
Goyaz  Province  via  Marrinhos  and  Allemao;  whence  a 
second  trail  went  to  Fructal  via  Concei^ao  das  Alagaos. 
A third,  to  Sant’  Anna  do  Paranahyba,  going  on  the 
whole  almost  due  west,  but  with  great  deviations,  went 
almost  across  South  America  as  far  as  Pulacayo,  in 
Bolivia,  crossing  first  the  State  of  Matto  Grosso  in  its 
southern  and  narrower  point  via  Coxim  and  Corumba, 
then  all  Bolivia,  eventually  joined  the  La  Paz- 
Antofagasta  Railway  line  at  Uyum  (Pulacayo  is  con- 
nected by  rail  to  Uyum),  and  ended  at  the  Pacific  Ocean. 
Another  trail  led  to  Monte  Alegre;  yet  another  to 
Uberabinha  — although  the  railway  had  already  con- 
nected that  town  with  Uberaba.  This  last  trail  continued, 
making  great  detours,  to  Bagagem,  then  to  Patrocino, 
from  which  place  it  deviated  due  north  to  Paracatu. 
There  three  ramifications  occurred:  one  to  Sta.  Lucia, 
Pyrinopolis,  and  Goyaz  (capital)  ; the  second  to  Jamar- 

43 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


ria,  Jocare  (on  the  San  Francisco  River),  and  Carrinhan 
(on  the  Carinhaha  River,  a tributary  of  the  San 
Francisco),  and  eventually  by  water  to  the  Atlantic 
Ocean ; the  third  trail  proceeded  due  east  — across  the 
San  Francisco  River  to  Montes  Claros  and  Grao  Mogol; 
a fourth,  in  a southeasterly  direction,  led  to  Curvelho  and 
Sta.  Lucia,  where  it  met  the  railway  to  Rio  de  Janeiro. 
Another  route  proceeded  south  to  Sta.  Rita  do  Paraiso. 

The  price  of  land,  which  was  excellent  in  the  valley  of 
the  river,  in  the  vicinity  of  Uberaba  was  from  30  to  150 
milreis  per  alqueire. 

After  leaving  Uberaba  the  scenery  was  magnificent, 
especially  when  a storm  approached  as  we  were  steaming 
over  the  Serra  de  Caracol.  Dense  black  clouds  collected 
and  capped  the  dark  green  forest  of  the  Serra,  while  down, 
down  below,  on  our  right,  the  endless,  gently  undulating 
plain  of  fresh  green  grass  was  brilliantly  illuminated  by  a 
warm,  dazzling  sun.  Most  beautiful  grazing  land,  prac- 
tically going  to  waste  now,  we  crossed  on  reaching  the 
highest  point  of  the  Serra;  grass,  grass,  as  far  as  the 
eye  could  see  — quite  flat  land  — but  not  a head  of  cattle 
in  sight;  in  fact,  there  was  no  sign  of  animal  life,  and  a 
stillness  of  death,  except  for  the  puffing  of  the  railway 
engine  on  which  I sat.  Water,  however,  did  not  seem  to 
abound;  we  could  see  only  a small  stream,  near  which 
curious-looking  patches,  or  bosquets  of  trees,  lay  in  dark 
spots  on  that  light  green  expanse.  We  were  then  at  an 
elevation  of  3,400  feet  amid  delightfully  cool  and  crisp  air. 

At  Burity  we  passed  the  great  route  of  the  cattle 
dealers  from  Goyaz  and  Matto  Grosso  for  Sta.  Rita, 
Passos,  and  Tres  Cora^es  do  Rio  Verde.  At  Palestina 
(845  kilometres  from  the  sea)  we  were  on  what  seemed 
an  interminable,  flat  plateau  with  ideally  green  grass,  and 
here  and  there  patches  of  stunted  vegetation.  Land  could 
be  purchased  there  as  low  as  10  milreis  an  alqueire, 
although  the  best  land  cost  from  50  to  300  milreis. 

44 


THE  TERMINUS  OF  THE  RAILWAY 


The  country  was  absolutely  flat  until  we  reached 
Sicupira  (elevation  3,100  feet  above  the  sea  level),  where 
we  began  to  descend  to  the  Rio  Uberabinha,  whose  de- 
lightfully clear,  crystalline  water  wound  its  way  through 
scrub. 

At  Uberabinha  we  again  came  across  the  wonderful 
red  earth  of  the  Riberao  Preto  district.  Situated  at  an 
elevation  of  3,050  feet  stood  the  little  town  of  some  4,000 
inhabitants,  about  500  yards  from  the  comfortable  and 
pretty  station.  Although  the  land  was  beautiful,  cultiva- 
tion could  not  be  said  to  be  prevalent.  Merely  some  rice, 
beans,  and  Indian  corn  were  grown  in  small  quantities. 

From  Uberabinha  the  railway  line  descended  all  the 
time  through  a thinly  wooded  country  of  shrubs  and 
stunted  trees;  the  verdant  prairies,  so  refreshing  to  the 
eyes,  were  left  behind,  and  the  country  became  more 
broken,  though  the  land  was  still  excellent  for  agricultural 
purposes.  After  crossing  a well-constructed  iron  bridge 
resting  on  two  masonry  pillars  and  spanning  the  pic- 
turesque rapids  of  the  Rio  das  Velhas — the  river,  with 
its  turbid,  muddy,  nasty-looking  water,  being  there  some 
80  yards  wide,  at  an  elevation  of  2,050  feet  above  the  sea 
level  — we  again  began  a steep  ascent  by  a gradient  of 
over  three  per  cent,  following  most  of  the  time  the  river 
course.  The  thickly  wooded  banks  obstructed  a good  deal 
of  the  view  except  here  and  there,  where  charming 
glimpses  of  the  water  could  be  obtained. 

Seven  hundred  and  eighty-nine  kilometres  from 
Campinas,  or  982  kilometres  from  the  Atlantic  Ocean  at 
Santos,  we  arrived  at  the  terminal  station  of  the  Mogyana 
Railway  at  a place  called  Araguary,  3,150  feet  above  the 
sea  level,  one  of  the  dirtiest  and  most  unpleasant  spots  on 
the  face  of  the  earth.  The  termini  of  railway  lines  in 
newly  developed  countries  seem  to  act  like  filters.  What- 
ever is  good  passes  through ; only  the  impurities  or  dregs 
remain. 


45 


CHAPTER  IV 


The  Terminus  of  the  Railway  — An  Unpleasant  Incident  — The 
Purchase  of  Animals  — On  the  March  with  the  Caravan 

A GREAT  crowd  had  assembled  at  the  station.  The 
train  had  hardly  stopped  when  my  car  was  invaded 
by  boisterous  people,  who  embraced  me  and  patted 
me  on  the  back  in  the  most  approved  Brazilian  style. 
Before  I could  inquire  who  they  were,  one  fellow,  more 
boisterous  than  the  others,  informed  me  that  he  had  pur- 
chased a great  many  mules  for  me,  that  he  had  engaged 
men  for  me,  and  also  procured  riding  and  pack  saddles, 
harness,  implements,  clothing,  and  bedding  for  the  men  he 
had  engaged,  and  I do  not  know  what  else.  Everything 
was  paid  for.  I could  return  the  sum  paid  out  the  next 
day.  Another  man  said  he  had  already  prepared  a 
sumptuous  apartment  for  me  in  the  best  hotel  in  the 
town. 

When  asked  who  had  instructed  them  to  make  such 
arrangements,  they  were  vague,  and  on  being  pressed  for 
an  answer  gave  names  of  people  of  whose  existence  I 
was  perfectly  ignorant.  Before  I could  realize  what  all 
this  meant,  I discovered,  much  to  my  annoyance,  that  all 
my  baggage  had  been  taken  out  of  the  train  and  had 
been  conveyed  to  the  hotel.  I was  therefore  compelled 
to  proceed  there  myself,  in  the  company  of  my  new 
“ friends,”  who  shouted  everything  they  had  to  say  at  the 
top  of  their  voices,  so  that  I should  not  fail  to  understand. 
It  was  already  night,  and  the  streets  of  the  town  were  in 
such  a terrible  condition  that  the  overladen  carriage  — 

46 


A DYING  MAN 


there  were  people  on  all  the  seats,  on  the  box  and  standing 
on  the  steps  — nearly  turned  over  on  going  round  corners. 
The  wheels  sank  up  to  their  axles  in  mud. 

We  pulled  up  at  the  hotel  door,  where  another  crowd 
of  loafers  had  assembled.  I was  literally  dragged  into  the 
hotel  — for  I had  become  somewhat  reluctant,  first  on 
seeing  the  appearance  of  the  place,  then  on  being  met  by 
waves  of  a nauseating  odour  which  suggested  the  non- 
existence of  sanitary  arrangements  and  worse. 

“Come  in,  come  in!  ...  . wait  here!”  shouted  they 
in  a most  excited  manner,  when  I expressed  a wish  to 
inspect  the  j>alatial  quarters  which  they  had  been  good 
enough  to  reserve  for  me. 

“ Wait  a moment!  ” shouted  the  landlord,  a lumbering, 
disjointed,  murderous-looking  creature,  whose  violent 
gestures  and  waving  of  hands  in  front  of  my  face  were 
somewhat  irritating.  He  dashed  into  a room  on  the 
ground  floor  — and  we  outside  could  hear  an  altercation 
between  the  loud-voiced  proprietor  and  the  plaintive 
moans  of  a half-dying  man. 

A moment  later  the  half-dying  man,  skeleton-like, 
with  livid  eyes,  a complexion  the  colour  of  a lemon  gone 
bad,  and  quivering  bare  legs,  was  literally  dragged  out  of 
the  bed  and  roughly  thrown  out  of  the  door. 

“ Here  is  your  room!  ” cried  the  landlord  triumphantly 
to  me,  as  he  flung  out  of  that  apartment  some  cheap 
canvas  bags,  clothes,  which  from  the  beginning  had  been 
innocent  of  washing  and  pressing,  and  the  socks,  shoes, 
and  day  shirt  of  the  guest  who  had  been  ejected. 

The  odour  alone,  as  I peeped  into  the  room,  was 
enough  to  stifle  any  one  with  the  sense  of  scent  even  less 
delicate  than  my  own.  As  for  the  vacant  bed  — any 
pariah  dog  of  any  other  country  would  have  been  offended 
to  be  offered  such  filthy  accommodation. 

In  Brazil,  as  elsewhere,  it  does  not  do  to  lose  one’s 
calm.  I also  wished  to  avoid  an  unpleasant  quarrel,  as 

47 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


I have  a belief  that  quarrels  are  bad  for  one’s  health.  I 
spoke  gently  and  kindly  to  the  hotel-keeper,  and  said 
that,  although  I had  ordered  nothing,  still,  as  he  had 
kindly  reserved  that  charming  apartment  for  me,  I should 
be  very  pleased  to  pay  for  it,  which  I would  do  at  once. 
If  he  would  excuse  me,  I preferred  to  go  back  to  sleep 
in  my  private  car.  Upon  hearing  these  words  a nasty, 
tragi-comic  scene  occurred,  which,  had  I not  remained 
cool  and  collected,  might  have  ended  badly. 

“ Do  you  know,  sir,”  shouted  the  landlord,  with  livid 
features  and  eyes  shooting  out  of  their  orbits,  so  enraged 
was  he,  “ do  you  know  that  I am  the  Chief  of  Police  here, 
and  that  everybody  is  afraid  of  me?  I have  only  to  give 
orders,  and  every  one  will  kill  any  one  I like.”  Here  he 
discontinued  shaking  his  somewhat  grimy  hands  under  my 
nose  and,  drawing  himself  up,  stood  upon  the  doorstep  * 
of  the  hotel  in  order  to  harangue  the  great  crowd  which 
had  collected. 

“ We  are  all  millionaires  in  Brazil,”  shouted  the  land- 
lord, with  an  effort  which  seriously  impaired  the  safety  of 
his  fully-congested  jugular  vein.  “We  are  all  atheists 
and  anarchists  in  Brazil.  Down  with  the  infamous 
oppression  and  slavery  of  Europe!  Down  with  kings  and 
emperors!  Down  with  Europe,  the  land  of  oppression 
and  cruelty!”  And  again:  “ We  in  Brazil  are  the  richest 
people  on  earth.  We  are  all  millionaires  in  Brazil.  We 
do  not  need  foreign  charity!  ” 

“Down  with  foreigners!”  answered  the  chorus  of 
assembled  natives. 

The  railway  inspector  who  had  been  sent  by  the 
Company  to  accompany  me  became  scared  at  the  turn 
matters  were  taking,  and  told  me,  against  the  instructions 
he  had  received,  that  I could  not  now  return  to  the  car. 
Upon  hearing  this,  my  new  friends,  believing  they  had 
me  in  their  power,  renewed  their  vocal  attack. 

I remained  some  time  endeavouring  to  collect  my 

48 


A CHALLENGE 


baggage,  pretending  to  pay  no  attention  whatever  to  the 
absurd  oratory.  To  this  day  I cannot  yet  grasp  what 
the  oppression  of  Europe  had  to  do  with  my  wanting  to 
pay  for  something  I had  never  had.  I then  repeated  my 
offer,  which  was  again  refused.  With  the  protection  of 
his  strong  rear-guard  the  Chief  of  Police  advanced  bravely 
towards  me,  holding  in  a suggestive  manner  with  his  right 
hand  the  pommel  of  his  revolver  in  the  back  pocket  of  his 
trousers.  In  a tragic  manner  he  exclaimed: 

“We  will  settle  this  matter  to-morrow.” 

“We  will  settle  it  at  once,”  I placidly  replied. 

“ No,  to-morrow,”  he  repeated,  with  a vicious  look. 

“ Very  good:  at  what  time  and  where?  ” 

“ At  ten  o’clock,”  he  eventually  grunted,  after  I had 
repeated  the  above  question  four  times. 

I also  politely  invited  all  the  others  present  to  come 
forward  if  they  had  any  claims  to  square.  I was  quite 
ready  to  settle  anybody  at  any  time  and  anywhere. 
Perhaps  they  might  get  more  than  they  wished. 

I departed  with  my  baggage  laden  on  two  carriages 
and  a cart,  and  eventually  found  accommodation  at  an 
equally  filthy  hotel  near  the  station,  only  the  latter  place 
was  kept  by  a humble  and  honest,  decrepit  old  woman. 
I do  not  know  that  I have  ever  spent  a more  miserable 
evening  anywhere.  I do  not  mind  roughing  it  in  the 
roughest  way  possible,  but  I have  always  detested  pre- 
tentious efforts  at  civilization  of  an  inferior  kind.  Thus 
I sat  before  a meal  of  eggs,  beans,  and  rice,  all  soaked  in 
toucinho  (pork  fat),  which  I detest  and  loathe.  I 
watched  black  railway  workmen  and  porters  stuffing 
themselves  with  food  in  a most  unappetizing  way,  and 
making  disgusting  noises  of  all  kinds. 

Fortunately  I remembered  that  a friend  of  mine,  a 
railway  contractor,  Mr.  Louis  Schnoor,  must  be  at  that 
time  in  Araguary,  looking  after  the  construction  of  the 

new  railway  line  which  will  eventually  join  Araguary  to 
vol.  i.  — 4 49 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


the  capital  of  Goyaz.  I went  in  search  of  him,  stumbling 
along  the  terrible  roads  with  deep  holes  and  pools  of  water 
and  mud.  As  luck  would  have  it,  I was  able  to  purchase 
from  him,  that  very  same  evening,  a number  of  excellent 
mules,  which  he  very  generously  offered  to  place  at  my 
disposal  without  payment.  Also  he  promised  to  supply 
me  with  two  reliable  men  — a job  not  at  all  easy  in  that 
particular  part  of  Brazil. 

Mr.  Louis  Schnoor,  a Brazilian  of  German  extraction, 
was  a godsend  to  me.  Thanks  to  him,  I returned  that 
night  quite  happy  to  the  miserable  hotel.  Happy,  be- 
cause in  less  than  half  an  hour  I had  arranged  to  leave 
that  pestilential  hole  the  following  day.  Mr.  Schnoor 
had  kindly  promised  that  he  would  send  me,  at  eleven 
o’clock  the  next  morning,  in  a special  train  to  the  end  of 
the  line  in  construction,  some  45  kilometres  farther  north. 
In  a town  of  gentle  folks  like  Araguary,  the  luxury  of 
sleeping  with  one’s  window  open  could  not  be  indulged  in, 
especially  as  nearly  all  the  houses  were  one  storey  high. 
So  the  night  was  rendered  particularly  oppressive  and 
long,  tormented  as  I was  in  bed  by  its  innumerable 
inhabitants,  which  stung  me  all  over.  I had  taken  the 
precaution  to  spread  a waterproof  sheet  under  my  own 
blankets  on  the  bed,  but  that,  too,  proved  ineffective. 
Mosquitoes  were  numerous. 

No  sanitary  arrangements  to  speak  of  existed  in 
Araguary,  so  that  everything  was  flung  out  of  the 
windows  into  the  streets,  which  made  walking  about  the 
town  most  objectionable.  The  odour  everywhere  was 
revolting,  as  can  well  be  imagined.  The  city  was  never- 
theless considered  by  the  natives  as  all  that  is  most  perfect 
in  the  way  of  civilization,  for  not  only  did  it  possess  a 
few  ansemic  electric  lights,  so  far  apart  as  to  be  a nuisance 
instead  of  a help  in  seeing  one’s  way  about,  but  also, 
behold ! it  actually  boasted  of  a spasmodic  cinematograph. 
There  were  some  500  houses,  all  counted,  at  Araguary,  all 

50 


THE  STATION 


AND  SHED  OF  THE  GOYAZ  RAILWAY 
Mr.  Schnoor  and  his  two  engineers. 


(ARAGUARYj. 


TYPICAL  TREES  OF  THE  BRAZILIAN  FOREST,  GOYAZ. 
The  trunks  are  devoid  of  branches  and  foliage  up  to  a great  height. 


AUTHOR  DEPARTING  FROM  MORRO  DA  MEZA. 
Showing  costume  worn  during  the  expedition. 


ALCIDES. 


FILIPPE  THE  NEGRO. 


CHIEF  OF  POLICE 


more  or  less  miserable-looking,  and  a population  of  some 
2,500  souls  — “ lost  souls,”  I should  think. 

Slowly,  very  slowly,  came  the  next  morning,  March 
thirty-first.  At  ten  o’clock  sharp  I called  on  the  Chief 
of  Police  at  his  hotel,  and  found  that  he  had  departed 
early  in  the  morning  and  was  not  to  be  expected  back  for 
some  hours ! A charming  way  of  keeping  an  appointment 
which  he  was  so  anxious  to  bring  about. 

In  the  company  of  Mr.  Louis  Schnoor  I also  called  on 
the  persons  who  said  they  had  made  arrangements  for 
my  expedition,  as  I did  not  wish  to  have  any  misunder- 
standing in  the  matter.  Far  from  having  purchased 
mules,  horses,  saddles,  and  harness,  they  could  produce 
nothing  on  demand,  and  finally  asked  me  to  remain  in 
Araguary  for  one  month  — fancy  one  month  in  Ara- 
guary!  — so  that  they  could  produce  their  purchases. 

As  I was  driving  in  Mr.  Schnoor’s  carriage  we  met, 
a long  way  from  his  home  and  hotel,  the  Chief  of  Police 
and  hotel  proprietor.  I immediately  dismounted  and 
informed  that  gentleman  of  my  visit  at  the  appointed 
time.  I also  demanded  that  whatever  he  wished  me  to 
settle  must  be  settled  at  once. 

“ Nothing  at  all,”  said  he,  shaking  me  warmly  by  the 
hand.  “You  owe  me  nothing.  It  was  all  a mistake. 
It  was  all  a mistake.  Please  do  not  think  of  it  any  more. 
You  owe  me  nothing,  nothing,  nothing.  If  I can  be  of  use 
to  you,  pray  order  me!  I am  your  humble  servant.”  And 
his  delightful  politeness  was  such  that  I could  hardly 
realize  it  was  the  same  vicious  man  of  the  previous 
evening.  In  my  surprise  I had  to  turn  to  Mr.  Schnoor 
to  inquire  whether  I had  got  hold  of  the  wrong  man. 

Yes,  indeed.  Some  of  those  fellows  of  Central  Brazil 
were  a remarkable  mixture  of  villainy  and  charm;  in 
chemical  language  one  might  describe  them  as  sublimates 
of  rascality  and  delightful  manners. 

However,  good  manners  or  not,  I had  taken  such  a 

51 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


dislike  to  the  place  that  I was  glad  when  eleven  o’clock 
came  and  Mr.  Schnoor  conveyed  me  to  the  special  train 
— an  engine  and  one  car.  I inspected  the  new  station  of 
the  Goyaz  Railway,  which  was  already  finished,  a useful, 
well-constructed  building,  quite  sufficient  for  its  needs. 
In  the  company  of  Mr.  Schnoor,  his  chief  engineer,  Mr. 
Schirmer,  and  Mr.  Bertoux,  we  left  Araguary  — oh,  what 
a relief!  — for  the  end  of  the  line,  45  kilometres  away. 
I had  decided  to  wait  there,  in  the  open  country,  the  few 
hours  which  would  be  necessary  to  collect  the  men  who 
were  to  accompany  me,  and  the  mules. 

The  work  on  that  portion  of  the  Goyaz  line  which  was 
already  laid  had  been  well  and  quickly  done.  Mr. 
Schnoor  assured  me  that  in  four  or  five  months  more  they 
expected  to  run  trains  to  Catalao.  An  iron  bridge  will 
eventually  be  built  across  the  Paranahyba  River,  within 
a short  distance  of  which  the  line  had  already  been  laid 
when  I was  there.  Some  delay  had  been  experienced  in 
making  a deep  cut  on  the  south  side  of  Paranahyba  Hills, 
where  the  strata  had  been  found  much  harder  than 
expected. 

I camped  for  a day  and  a half  at  Morro  da  Meza,  a 
lovely  spot  at  an  elevation  of  2,850  feet,  from  whence  an 
immense  panorama  could  be  enjoyed.  What  a relief  this 
heavenly  place  was  after  Araguary,  and  how  everlastingly 
grateful  I shall  be  to  my  friend  Mr.  Schnoor  for  having 
dej)osited  me  there ! 

I took  the  opportunity  of  the  solitude  to  rearrange  my 
baggage.  On  April  first  my  good  friend  Schnoor  re- 
appeared to  see  that  all  arrangements  were  satisfactory 
for  my  departure. 

Morro  da  Meza  will  ever  remain  present  in  my  mind, 
for  it  was  my  jumping-off  place  into  the  wilds.  It  was 
from  there  that  the  actual  marching  on  horseback  and  on 
foot  began,  and  it  was  there  I last  saw  a railway  train  for 
the  best  part  of  a year. 


A PISTOL  SHOT 


On  April  first  at  4 p.m.,  I left  Morro  da  Meza,  went 
through  the  new  railway  cut  in  preparation,  crossed  the 
Paranahyba  River  (at  an  elevation  of  1,970  feet  above 
the  sea  level),  and  made  my  camp  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  stream  at  Anhanguera  elevation  2,100  feet  above 
sea  level)  in  the  railway  engineers’  camp,  800  yards  away 
from  the  water.  The  engineers,  an  Italian,  Mr.  Schnoor’s 
father-in-law,  and  a Russian,  a Mr.  Martens,  showed  me 
every  possible  civility.  A curious  incident  occurred  while 
we  were  having  dinner.  The  day  was  a holiday,  and  the 
workmen  on  the  line  were  resting.  We  were  sipping  our 
coffee,  when  a man  entered  our  hut  and  said  a companion 
of  his  had  been  shot.  We  rushed  to.  see  him,  and  we  found 
that  the  poor  wretch  had  had  his  skin  perforated  in  eight 
different  places  by  the  same  bullet.  What  was  more  re- 
markable was  that  each  perforation  was  close  to  a danger- 
ous place  in  the  man’s  anatomy,  and  yet  not  a single 
wound  was  mortal.  This  is  how  it  happened.  The  man 
was  lying  down  in  his  suspended  hammock,  resting  his 
left  hand  on  his  left  knee.  A friend  came  along  to  show 
him  a new  automatic  pistol  he  had  purchased.  In  the 
usual  silly  fashion  he  had  pointed  it  at  the  man.  The 
pistol  went  off,  and  the  bullet  passed  just  under  the  skin 
at  the  knee,  at  the  side  of  the  knee-cap,  and  having  come 
out  again,  went  right  through  the  soft  part  of  the  hand 
between  the  thumb  and  index  finger.  It  then  perforated 
the  arm  at  the  biceps,  and  further  entering  the  chest, 
shaved  the  heart  and  came  out  at  the  shoulder-blade, 
continuing  its  flight  beyond  to  where  no  one  could  find  it 
again.  That  spoke  highly  for  the  penetrating  power  of 
bullets  from  automatic  pistols,  and  also  for  the  little  harm 
those  little  bullets  may  inflict.  After  we  had  carefully 
dressed  his  wounds,  the  man  looked,  perhaps,  a little 
miserable,  but  he  was  able  to  depart  on  horseback  carrying 
a bottle  of  medicine  under  his  good  arm. 

The  Goyaz  Railway  was  making  rapid  progress.  The 

53 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


rails  were  soon  to  be  laid  on  the  north  side  of  the  river  as 
far  as  Catalao.  The  bed  of  the  railway  was  fast  being 
made  ready. 

It  was  not  until  April  third  that  I was  able  actually 
to  make  a start  with  my  caravan.  Mr.  Sehnoor  had 
promised  me  two  men  — Alcides  Ferreiro  dos  Santos  and 
Filippe  da  Costa  de  Britto:  the  first  a German  Brazilian 
of  a violent,  revolutionary  temper  but  of  extraordinary 
bravery;  the  other  a pure  negro  of  a boisterous,  simple 
nature,  and  also  of  indisputable  bravery  in  moments  of 
great  danger.  These  two  men,  both  natives  of  Araguary, 
proved  themselves  to  be  the  two  best  men  I possessed  on 
that  fateful  expedition.  Thus,  if  nothing  else  can  be  said 
in  praise  of  Araguary,  it  must  be  said  in  justice  that  it 
can  produce  some  men  of  great  courage  and  faithfulness 
r — a boast  which  cannot  well  be  applied  to  many  places 
in  Brazil. 

On  April  third,  at  9 a.m.,  after  a touching  farewell, 
I left  the  engineers’  camp,  mounted  on  a magnificent 
mule  that  Mr.  Sehnoor  had  insisted  on  lending  me  as  far 
as  Goyaz,  with  the  pack  animals  which  I had  purchased. 
I did  not  follow  the  principal  road,  which  went  by  a 
somewhat  circuitous  route  from  Araguary  to  the  capital 
of  Goyaz  via  the  towns  of  Catalao  and  Bomfin,  but  pre- 
ferred to  travel  across  country  by  a short  cut,  which  took 
you  there  in  an  almost  direct  line  in  a northwesterly 
direction.  On  getting  over  the  Serrinha  (elevation  2,250 
feet),  a hill  range,  one  obtained  a gorgeous  view  of  the 
valley  of  the  Paranahyba  River  — a river  which,  already 
of  good  width  there,  became  eventually  the  great  Parana. 
On  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  near  its  mouth,  some  thou- 
sands of  miles  from  where  we  were,  Buenos  Aires  is 
situated. 

Going  through  a beautiful  forest  in  undulating 
country,  we  reached  the  summit  of  a flat-topped  table- 
land, 2,500  feet  above  the  sea  level,  with  a gentle  slope 

54 


A WONDERFUL  SUNSET 


towards  the  north,  where  the  edge  of  its  summit  was  some 
50  feet  lower  than  on  the  south.  The  vegetation  was 
somewhat  stunted,  but  interesting,  for  many  were  the 
trees  I noticed  which  could  be  put  to  some  use  or  other. 
The  Barbatinao  ( Stry philodendron  bar  31 .)  was  plentiful, 
and  could  be  used  advantageously  in  tanning  leather; 
the  Pao  de  ferro  ( Ccesalpina  ferrea  31.)  and  the  Paneira 
were  present  in  quantities. 

Through  the  forest  we  descended,  in  three  hours,  to 
the  Rio  Virissimo,  which,  swollen  by  the  sub-tributaries 
Barrocas,  Indaica,  Pirahitinga,  and  Perobas  on  the  east 
and  Vae  Vem  on  the  west,  throws  itself  into  the  Parana- 
tinga  between  Morro  Alto  and  Porto  do  Barreiro.  That 
stream  had  been  bridged  over.  We  had  descended  to 
2,000  feet.  During  the  entire  distance  — we  had  travelled 
some  23  kilometres  from  the  Paranahyba  River  — we  had 
passed  only  two  miserable  sheds,  and  we  had  not  met  a 
single  soul,  barring  a glimpse  at  a shaggy  female  who 
happened  to  be  opening  the  door  of  her  hut  as  we  were 
passing,  and  banged  it  shut  with  a yell  of  terror  and  bolted 
it,  as  she  perceived  us  riding  by. 

A peculiar  kind  of  wild  fig-tree  was  to  be  seen,  ball- 
like in  appearance,  with  branches  inclined  down  instead 
of  skyward,  like  most  trees.  On  our  right,  as  we  pro- 
ceeded down  to  the  farms  of  S.  Jeronymo  and  Sta. 
Barbara  (elevation  2,400  feet)  stood  a mountain  with 
beautiful  grazing  land  upon  its  slopes.  Healthy,  fat 
cattle,  in  most  wonderful  condition,  testifying  to  the  ex- 
cellence of  the  grazing  in  that  region,  were  bred  by  the 
farmers.  To  the  north,  northeast,  and  northwest  behind 
this  place  were  to  be  seen  delightful  green,  round-topped 
hills,  also  with  excellent  grazing.  A few  cows  and 
imported  zebus  were  to  be  seen,  it  is  true,  but  the  country 
could  support  a million  times  that  number  and  more. 

It  was  that  evening  that  I noticed  for  the  first  time 
in  Brazil  a peculiar  and  most  wonderful  effect  of  light  at 

55 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


sunset  — not  unlike  an  aurora  borealis.  White,  well- 
defined  radiations  shot  skyward  from  the  west,  where  the 
sun  had  set,  and  stood  out  luminously  against  the  dark 
blue  sky,  like  the  spokes  of  a gigantic  wheel.  This  effect, 
as  we  shall  see,  was  repeated  frequently  at  sunset,  and 
sometimes  was  even  more  beautiful  than  on  the  occasion 
of  my  first  acquaintance  with  it. 

We  marched  39^2  kilometres  that  day,  with  my  nine 
pack-mules,  Formosa  (which  in  Portuguese  means 
“ beautiful  ”),  the  splendid  white  mule  I rode,  and  three 
other  mules  ridden  by  my  men.  It  was  a real  pleasure 
to  see  the  appetite  of  the  animals  when  we  made  camp. 
How  joyfully  they  ground  with  their  powerful  jaws  the 
Indian  corn  which  each  had  received  in  a nose-bag  soon 
after  we  had  halted,  removed  the  loads  and  saddles  from 
their  backs,  and  properly  groomed  them! 

When  we  started  the  next  morning,  we  went  through 
most  beautiful  grazing  land  for  some  20  kilometres,  and 
through  marvellous  grassy  slopes  on  the  mountains  be- 
yond. Streamlets  of  clear,  abundant  water  were  passed. 
From  2,050  feet,  the  elevation  of  the  stream,  we  rose  to 
2,650  feet,  then  descended  gradually  to  the  village  of 
Corumbahyba,  with  its  brand-new,  red-tiled  roofs  and 
whitewashed  houses  — very  tiny,  and,  with  one  exception, 
all  one-storied.  The  windows  and  doors  were  gaily 
decorated  with  bright  blue  paint.  There  was  a church, 
of  course,  on  one  side  of  the  large  square  smothered  in 
high  grass,  and  by  the  church  two  wooden  pillars  sup- 
ported a beam  from  which  hung  a bronze  bell.  Then  in 
the  centre  of  the  square  stood  the  thing  most  prominent 
in  the  village  — a huge  wooden  cross  in  a dilapidated 
condition.  What  little  life  seemed  to  exist  in  the  place 
was  to  be  found  in  the  local  store,  where  an  inquisitive 
crowd  had  collected  when  I arrived. 

My  mides  were  let  loose  to  graze  in  the  square,  joining 
a number  of  cows  that  were  already  there.  As  I sat  in 

56 


A WORN-OUT  RACE 


the  shop,  closely  examined  by  the  inhabitants,  I returned 
the  compliment  by  analysing  them.  What  a strange, 
dried-up,  worn-out  appearance  young  and  old  presented! 
What  narrow,  chicken-like  chests,  what  long,  unstable 
legs  and  short  arms!  And,  dear  me!  what  shaggy,  re- 
bellious hair,  which  stood  out  bristle-like  in  all  directions 
upon  their  scalps!  Yet  those  people  came  from  ancestors 
who  must  have  been,  centuries  ago,  magnificent  types  of 
humanity,  to  be  able  to  accomplish  what  they  did  in  the 
way  of  colonization.  With  the  habit  we  possess  of  looking 
for  finer,  healthier  specimens  of  humanity  in  the  country 
than  in  the  cities,  this  condition  of  affairs  came  somewhat 
as  a surprise  to  me,  since  that  rule  generally  applied  to 
most  nations  I have  visited  except  Brazil.  Those  people, 
partly  by  constant  intermarriage  among  themselves, 
partly  by  the  mixture  of  black  blood  with  the  white,  and 
largely  owing  to  the  effects  of  the  most  terrible  complaint 
of  the  blood  in  existence  — universal  in  Brazil  — partly, 
too,  by  the  dull,  uninteresting,  wasted  lives  they  led  and 
the  poverty  of  their  nourishment,  were  reduced  to  a state 
of  semi-idiocy.  The  men  seemed  to  have  hardly  the 
strength  and  energy  to  walk  or  even  stand  up,  although 
I must  confess,  to  my  regret,  that  they  had  not  yet  lost 
the  power  of  talking. 

Their  features  were  unattractive.  Eyes  were  wide 
apart  and  widely  expanded,  so  that  the  entire  circle  of 
the  iris  was  exposed,  although  the  eyeball  itself  was  not 
a fleur  de  tete,  but  rather  sunk  into  excessively  spacious 
orbital  cavities  in  the  skull.  The  part  of  the  eyeball  which 
is  usually  white  was  yellow  with  them,  softened  somewhat 
by  luxuriant  eyelashes  of  abnormal  length.  In  fact,  the 
only  thing  that  seemed  plentiful  and  vigorous  with  them 
was  the  hair,  which  grew  abundantly  and  luxuriantly 
everywhere,  just  as  bad  grass  and  weeds  do  on  unculti- 
vated or  abandoned  lands.  There  was  a lot  of  hair 
ever ywhere : on  the  scalp,  on  the  eyebrows,  on  the  men’s 

57 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


unshaven  cheeks,  on  the  chest,  the  arms,  hands,  and  the 
legs.  It  is,  I believe,  a well-known  fact  that  hair  is 
generally  more  luxuriant,  the  weaker  and  more  anjemic 
the  subject  is  — up  to  a certain  point. 

Deep  grooves  and  hollow  cheeks,  the  latter  due  to 
absence  of  teeth,  marked  the  faces  of  even  young  men. 
One  of  the  most  noticeable  peculiarities  was  the  extraordi- 
nary development,  prominence,  and  angularity  of  the 
apple  of  the  throat.  The  ears,  which  to  my  mind  show  the 
real  character  and  condition  of  health  of  a person  more 
than  any  other  visible  part  of  his  or  her  anatomy,  were 
large  and  prominent,  occasionally  well-formed,  but  lack- 
ing colour  and  the  delightful,  well-chiselled,  vigorous 
curves  of  healthy,  normal,  intelligent  people.  The  hands 
and  feet  were  generally  small  and  well-shaped,  in  wonder- 
ful condition  — though  not  necessarily  clean  — owing  to 
the  inborn  reluctance  which  all  the  people  of  Brazil  have 
for  manual  labour. 

It  has  always  been  my  experience  that,  generally 
speaking,  malformed  people  j)ossess  distorted  brains, 
which  does  not  mean  at  all  that  the  brain  of  a malformed 
person  may  not  perhaps  develop  in  a marvellous  manner 
in  one  particular  direction.  What  I maintain  is  that,  with 
few  possible  exceptions,  the  brains  of  malformed  people 
are  seldom  perfectly  balanced.  As  for  these  particular 
subjects,  it  did  not  take  a deep  student  of  human  nature 
to  set  down  the  entire  crowd  of  them  as  visionaries,  most 
fantastically  inclined,  in  which  direction,  having  no 
restraint  whatever,  they  ran  absolutely  amuck. 

Yet  there  was  something  very  charming  about  the 
people  of  the  interior  of  Brazil,  after  they  had  overcome 
their  first  suspicion  of  strangers  and  their  own  shyness. 
They  seemed  imbued  with  the  idea  that  everybody  came 
there  specially  to  do  them  harm.  They  lived  in  a constant 
state  of  fear  and  trembling,  even  of  their  own  relations 
and  friends.  They  all  went  about  armed  to  the  teeth,  and 

58 


CORUMBAHYBA 


would  not  dream  of  going  a yard  outside  their  homes 
without  a revolver,  a rifle,  and  a dagger.  Even  to  walk 
about  the  village  the  men  were  all  armed. 

When  not  in  a rage  or  sulky,  which  seemed  to  be 
their  almost  constant  condition,  they  were  the  most 
good-hearted  people  I have  ever  met ; gentle,  affectionate 
- — -in  fact,  so  sentimental  that  it  became  a positive 
nuisance.  If  one  learnt  how  to  deal  with  them,  which 
was  not  always  easy,  they  were  really  delightful  people 
in  their  enviable  simplicity. 

A reflection  of  the  people’s  mentality  was  to  be 
discovered  at  a glance  in  examining  the  articles  that  were 
for  sale  in  the  only  shop  in  the  village.  There,  remember, 
you  were  in  a country  which,  from  an  agricultural  point 
of  view,  could  be  made  of  immense  value.  Now,  did  you 
notice  any  implements  in  the  shop  which  suggested  agri- 
cultural pursuits  of  any  kind  whatever?  No;  what  you 
found  were  patent  leather  dress  shoes,  elaborately  em- 
broidered top-boots,  fancy  neckties,  gaudy  gilt  and  silver 
spurs  of  immense  size,  bottles  of  powerful  perfumes, 
fancy  soaps,  mirrors,  combs,  and  highly-coloured  calicoes, 
beer,  fire-water,  and  other  such  articles  of  luxury. 

The  Corumbahyba  village  stood  at  an  elevation  of 
2,250  feet,  in  a hollow  surrounded  by  low  hills.  The 
water  was  delicious  at  that  place. 

As  I was  getting  through  my  lunch,  which  I enjoyed 
thoroughly  after  my  morning  march  of  23  kilometres, 
I saw,  crossing  the  square,  two  murderers  laden  with  iron 
chains,  led  along  with  a rope  by  two  mounted  men.  The 
natives  present  laughed  as  they  saw  the  poor  devils 
struggle  along.  Not  a sign  of  pity  or  care  was  shown  by 
anybody  present. 

After  leaving  Corumbahyba,  we  witnessed  a pano- 
rama of  magnificent  mountain  scenery  from  a height  of 
2,550  feet,  to  which  we  had  ascended.  Then  came  a steep 
and  rugged  descent  through  a forest  down  to  a streamlet 

59 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


(2,250  feet)  ; then  up  another  ascent  to  2,350  feet,  and 
down  again  to  2,050  feet  at  the  great  Corumba  River, 
there  300  yards  wide.  We  crossed  this  beautiful  stream 
— animals  and  all  — on  three  canoes  joined  together, 
upon  which  a platform  had  been  built. 


60 


CHAPTER  V 


Travelling  across  Country  — A Musical  Genius  — Valuable  Woods 
— Thermal  Springs 


AT  the  river  were  several  picturesque,  two-wheeled 
carts,  waiting  to  be  ferried  across.  Drawn  by  ten, 
twenty,  and  even  as  many  as  thirty  oxen,  these 
heavy,  hooded  vehicles  travelled  across  country  in  a most 
wonderful  manner.  Naturally  they  had  to  be  of  solid 
construction  to  stand  the  wear  and  tear  demanded  of  them. 
Their  wheels  were  heavy,  solid  discs  of  hard  wood,  encir- 
cled by  powerful  tyres  of  iron.  A primitive  system  of 
brake  — a mere  bar  of  wood  held  in  position  by  ropes  — 
retarded  the  speed  of  the  vehicle  down  extra-steep 
declivities.  When  going  up  or  down  hill,  the  friction  of 
the  wheels  upon  their  axles  produced  a continuous,  shrill 
whistle,  which,  when  heard  from  a distance,  sounded  not 
unlike  the  whistle  of  a locomotive.  In  the  deathly  stillness 
of  the  Goyaz  landscape,  those  whistles  could  be  heard  a 
long  way  off.  The  expectant  farmers  — expectant,  be- 
cause those  trading  carts  conveyed  to  them  a good  deal 
of  the  food-stuff,  salt,  and  other  necessaries  of  life,  as 
well  as  the  luxuries  they  could  afford  — were  clever  at 
recognizing  the  whistles  of  the  various  carts,  and.  they 
identified  one  special  cart  or  another  by  what  they 
poetically  called  the  “ voice  of  the  wheel  ” or  the  “ song 
of  Goyaz.” 

There  were  some  picturesque  rapids  just  above  the 
spot  where  we  crossed  the  Corumba  River,  which  flowed 
in  a tortuous  channel  with  a general  direction  of  west- 
southwest. 


61 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


To  the  east  of  our  track,  as  we  proceeded  northward, 
stood  a glorious  range  of  hills,  with  magnificent  grazing 
land  extending  for  many  miles.  In  front  of  us  to  the 
north  and  north-northeast  towered  a high  plateau,  the 
Serra  de  Callos,  also  called,  I believe,  Serra  do  Cusuzeiro. 

After  travelling  up  and  down  and  across  several 
streamlets,  we  reached  at  sunset  the  Rio  Boccagna  (2,230 
feet  above  the  sea  level),  which,  soon  after  passing  the 
place  where  we  crossed  it,  entered  the  large  river  Bagri, 
winding  its  way  through  a gorgeous  forest.  During  the 
day  we  had  passed  really  wonderful  grazing  land  on  either 
side  of  the  track,  but  principally  to  the  east,  between  the 
north  bank  of  the  Corumba  River  and  Camp  Mazagan. 
There  were  plenty  of  small  streams  in  the  hilly  and 
sometimes  slightly  wooded  valleys. 

At  seven  o’clock,  having  ridden  that  day  7 6 kilometres, 
we  halted  after  dark  at  the  moradoria,  or  farm,  of 
Mazagan  (elevation  2,375  feet  above  the  sea  level).  We 
were  politely  asked  to  enter  the  house,  and  immediately 
preparations  were  made  to  clear  out  the  best  room  for 
me.  The  illumination  was  not  grand:  an  ancient  metal 
arrangement,  not  unlike  a Pompeian  lamp,  with  a wick 
soaked  in  oil,  profusely  smoking.  In  the  dim  light  I 
could  just  distinguish  in  the  background,  reclining  against 
the  wall,  a youth  with  a guitar,  from  which  two  chords  — 
always  the  same  two  chords  — were  strummed.  The  boy 
seemed  in  a trance  over  this  musical  composition,  and  even 
our  appearance  did  not  disturb  his  efforts.  He  took  no 
notice  whatever  of  us.  Dinner  was  prepared  — it  took  a 
long  time  — the  musician  all  the  time  enchanting  his 
admiring  family  with  the  two  monotonous  chords. 

“ It  is  a pity,”  said  his  delighted  mother  to  me,  “ that 
we  cannot  send  him  to  school.  He  is  a genius;  he  would 
astonish  the  world.” 

“ Yes,”  I hastily  agreed,  “ it  is  a pity  you  cannot  send 
him  . . . somewhere!” 


62 


GOYAZ  RAILWAY  IN  CONSTRUCTION. 

The  cut  leading  to  the  Paranahyba  River.  AUTHOR'S  CARAVAN  CROSSING  A STREAM. 


CHARACTERISTIC  TYPES  OF  BRAZILIANS  OF  THE  INTERIOR. 
Notice  degenerate  faces  and  development  of  goitre. 


> 

, ■ 1 


A TYPICAL  VILLAGE  OF  GOYAZ  PROVINCE. 


A MUSICAL  GENIUS 


“ Can  you  not  take  him  with  you?  ” 

I explained  to  the  poor  woman  that  it  required  very 
civilized  people  to  appreciate  her  son’s  music.  Among 
the  wild  Indians  I expected  to  find,  later  on  in  my  jour- 
ney, I was  sure  that,  with  music  like  that,  we  should  all 
be  killed ; they  were  such  savages ! 

After  two  solid  hours,  the  two  chords  still  continuing, 
with  no  signs  whatever  of  relenting,  I asked  the  musical 
genius  if  he  could  treat  me  to  a different  tune.  Alas ! he 
knew  no  other,  but  as  he  saw  that  I was  so  fond  of  music 
he  would  again,  with  the  greatest  pleasure,  go  on  playing 
the  same  air ; he  called  it  an  air. 

“ Muito  obrigado!  ” (“Thank  you  very  much!”)  I 
moaned,  with  a sickly  smile  on  my  lips  and  a violent  wish 
to  smash  guitar  and  guitarist. 

" No  Inai  de  que!  ” (“  Do  not  mention  it!  ”)  and  here 
recommenced  the  repetition  of  the  two  chords. 

“ I should  like  to  go  to  sleep  now;  thank  you  very 
much  again  for  the  lovely  music,”  I next  plaintively 
added,  in  my  most  approved  Brazilian  politeness. 

“Oh,  not  at  all:  I shall  go  on  playing  while  you  are 
sleeping.  It  will  give  you  pleasant  dreams ! ” 

It  was  too  pathetic.  Nothing  short  of  murder  could 
have  stopped  his  enthusiasm.  Being  a traveller  of  years’ 
experience,  I was  not  to  be  outwitted.  As  he  would  not 
stop  the  music,  I stopped  hearing  it  by  stuffing  my  ears 
tight  with  cotton-wool.  So  I slept  soundly  enough,  not- 
withstanding the  orchestral  entertainment.  At  sunrise, 
when  I opened  my  eyes  again,  the  boy  was  still  at  it.  I 
removed  the  cotton  from  my  ears  ....  yes,  indeed,  the 
identical  two  chords! 

The  boy  and  the  guitar  will  perhaps  never  know  what 
a narrow  escape  they  both  had ! In  despair  I gave  orders 
to  get  the  mules  ready  at  once,  in  order  to  depart 
immediately. 

Those  halts  in  farmhouses  were  dreary  beyond  words. 

63 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


The  Brazilians  of  the  interior,  quite  unlike  those  of  the 
big  towns  in  or  near  the  coast,  were  sullen  people,  with  no 
conversation  — or  else  too  much  — no  interest  in  any- 
thing, no  art,  no  imagination.  They  were  timid  and  vain 
to  an  incredible  degree,  suspicious,  avaricious,  and  easily 
offended,  so  that  the  greatest  tact  had  to  be  used  with 
them.  They  were  ignorant  of  everything  even  in  their 
own  immediate  neighbourhood.  Yet,  mind  you,  with  all 
that,  extraordinarily  kind  and  ultra-polite  of  speech. 
They  all  seemed  turned  out  of  the  same  mould.  When 
you  had  seen  one,  you  had  seen  them  all.  There  were, 
of  course,  a few  exceptions,  Brazilians  of  recent  German, 
French,  Italian,  or  Spanish  origin,  but  these  exceptions 
were  indeed  very  rare  in  the  interior. 

Ill-fed,  his  blood  corrupted  and  impoverished  to  the 
utmost  degree,  his  health,  therefore,  never  in  a normal 
condition,  his  finances  at  the  lowest  ebb,  the  Brazilian  of 
the  interior  had  little  indeed  to  make  him  happy.  His 
home  at  best  was  as  miserable  and  dirty  as  possible.  The 
room  generally  given  to  an  honoured  guest,  the  best  in 
the  house,  was  the  granary.  More  than  once  was  my 
camp-bed  perched  on  a mound  of  Indian  corn.  And  the 
furniture?  A wooden  bench  of  the  roughest  description, 
really  an  instrument  of  torture  rather  than  an  article  of 
comfort;  a few  wooden  pegs  in  the  wall  on  which  to  hang 
rifles  or  other  things;  an  occasional  wooden  bedstead; 
seldom,  very  seldom,  a stool  or  a chair,  in  any  case,  never 
a comfortable  one,  such  as  you  invariably  find  with  peas- 
ants and  old-established  colonists  of  most  other  countries. 
They  cared  not  for  comfort.  Their  beds,  a mass  of  rags, 
were  shared  by  masters  and  hens  and  dogs.  Everything 
was  in  an  abandoned  state;  everything  had  fallen  to  rack 
and  ruin.  All  looked  as  if  they  were  tired  of  life,  too 
indolent  to  move.  They  seldom  saluted  when  you  met 
them  on  the  trail,  nor  when  you  entered  their  houses;  if 
they  did,  they  rapidly  touched  their  dilapidated  hats  as 

64 


UNCOMFORTABLE  HOMES 


if  afraid  to  spoil  them.  Never  did  you  perceive  a smile 
upon  their  long-drawn  countenances.  When  they  greeted 
one  another,  they  laid  their  bodies  close  together  as  if 
about  to  dance  the  tango,  and  patted  each  other  repeatedly 
on  the  shoulder-blades,  turning  their  heads  away  as  if  to 
avoid  their  reciprocal  evil  odour.  It  is  not  the  fashion  in 
any  part  of  Brazil  to  shake  hands.  Some  say  it  is  because 
of  the  unpleasant  feeling  of  touching  sweating  hands; 
others  suggest  that  it  is  to  prevent  the  contagion  of  the 
many  skin  complaints  from  which  people  suffer.  When 
they  do  shake  hands,  with  a stranger,  for  instance,  one 
might  as  well  be  grasping  the  very  dead  hand  of  a very 
dead  man;  it  is  done  in  so  heartless  a manner. 

For  a consideration  they  reluctantly  gave  a stranger 
what  little  they  possessed,  but  they  had  not  the  remotest 
idea  of  the  value  of  tilings.  In  one  farmhouse  you  were 
charged  the  equivalent  of  a few  pence  for  an  egg  or  a 
chicken;  in  the  next  farm  a small  fortune  was  demanded 
for  similar  articles  of  convenience.  Men,  women,  chil- 
dren, dogs,  pigs,  and  fowls,  all  lived  — not  happily,  but 
most  unhappily  — together. 

No  sooner  were  we  able  to  saddle  the  animals  and 
pack  the  baggage  and  pay  our  hostess,  than  we  tried  to 
make  our  escape  from  that  musical  farm.  But  luck  was 
hard  on  me  that  day.  One  mule  was  lost,  and  a second 
received  a terrible  gash  in  his  hind  quarters  from  a 
powerful  kick  from  another  mule. 

We  went  on  among  low,  fairly  grassy  hills  to  the  west, 
west-northwest,  and  to  the  east  of  us.  We  still  had  before 
us  the  Serra  de  Callos  — a flat-topped  tableland  some 
12  kilometres  in  diameter  on  the  summit,  where  it  was 
almost  circular.  Its  deeply  grooved  sides  showed  clearly 
the  great  work  of  erosion  which  had  occurred  and  was 
still  taking  place  in  those  regions.  With  the  exception  of 
two  spurs,  which  projected  on  the  west  and  east  sides  of 
the  plateau,  its  sky-line  was  quite  clean  and  flat. 

vol.  i.  — 5 65 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


After  rising  to  an  elevation  of  2,600  feet,  then  de- 
scending to  2,450  feet,  we  crossed  two  streamlets  which 
afterwards  joined  a fairly  important  torrent.  One  was 
called  the  Rio  Boa  Vista.  We  then  gradually  rose  to 
2,750  feet  on  another  flat  tableland  to  the  east  of  the 
Serra  de  Callos,  with  its  sides  eroded  in  two  distinct 
terraces,  the  higher  one  being  almost  a straight  wall  from 
two  thirds  up  the  side  of  the  range.  In  the  lower  portion 
a number  of  rounded  mounds  were  to  be  observed,  which, 
by  a stretch  of  the  imagination  and  for  the  sake  of 
comparison,  resembled,  perhaps,  elephants’  heads. 

Northeast  of  the  Serra  stood  a thickly  wooded, 
detached  mound,  while  to  the  north,  as  we  went  along, 
there  was  displayed  before  us  a magnificent  view  of  the 
flat  valley  into  which  we  were  about  to  descend. 

Where  the  country  was  wooded,  many  trees  and  plants 
were  to  be  found,  useful  for  their  tanning,  medicinal, 
oleiferous,  or  lactiferous  qualities:  such  as  the  Dedal,  a 
yellowish-leafed  shrub  from  which  a yellow  dye  can  be 
obtained ; the  tall,  thin  Arariba  Amarelho,  or  Amarelhino 
(C  entrolobium  robustum ),  a great  number  of  Lobelia 
trees,  with  their  elongated,  light  green  leaves  and  clean, 
barked  stems,  which  eject,  from  incisions,  a caustic  and 
poisonous  juice.  The  tallest  of  all  the  trees  in  that  region 
was  perhaps  the  Jacaranda,  with  its  tiny  leaves.  . . . 
There  were  four  kinds  of  Jacaranda  — the  Jacaranda 
cabiuna,  rosa,  tan,  and  violet  a,  technically  known  as  Dal- 
bergia  nigra,  Machcerium  incorruptible,  Mach  cerium  cen- 
copterum,  Machcerium  Alemanni,  Benth.  The  three 
latter  have  a specific  gravity  higher  than  that  of  most 
woods  in  Brazil,  except  the  Pao  de  ferro  ( Ccesalpina 
ferrea),  the  very  plentiful  Barhatimao  ( Stryphnodendron 
barbatimao),  a mimosa-like  tree,  and  the  Vinhatico 
amarello  ( Echyrosperum  Balthazarii) , the  last  of  which 
has  the  highest  specific  gravity  of  all. 

Then  we  found  plenty  of  Sambaiba,  an  excellent  wood, 

66 


PICTURESQUE  OX- CARTS  OF  GOYAZ. 


A HOME  IN  CENTRAL  BRAZIL. 


A CLEVER  AUTOMATIC  POUNDING  MACHINE. 


CALDAS 


and  Imuliana,  a wood  of  great  resistance,  much  used  in 
certain  parts  of  Brazil  for  constructing  fences. 

A peculiar  tree,  with  concave  leaves  shaped  like  a cup, 
was  locally  called  Ariticun  or  Articun.  It  produced  a 
large  fruit,  quite  good  to  eat. 

Much  botanical  variety  was  indeed  everywhere  around 
us.  . . . There  was  the  terra  da  folha  miuta,  which,  as  its 
name  tells,  possessed  minute,  shiny  leaves;  then  the  tall 
Faveiro  ( Pterodon  pubescens),  producing  a bean,  and 
having  dark  leaves  not  unlike  those  of  mimosas.  Then, 
many  were  the  kinds  of  acacias  we  noticed,  as  we  went 
along. 

Still  descending,  we  arrived  at  the  little  town  of  Caldas 
de  Goyaz,  so  called  because  there  were  three  hot  springs 
of  water  of  different  temperatures.  I visited  the  three 
springs.  The  water  tasted  slightly  of  iron,  was  beautifully 
clear,  and  quite  good  to  drink.  Two  springs  were  found 
in  a depression  some  150  feet  lower  than  the  village,  viz., 
at  an  elevation  of  2,450  feet,  whereas  the  village  itself  was 
at  2,600  feet.  These  two  springs  were  only  20  feet  away 
from  a stream  of  cold  water.  A short  distance  from  the 
cold  stream  another  stream  of  hot  water  emerged  from 
the  rocks. 

Small  rectangular  tanks  had  been  made  at  the  two 
higher  springs,  which  were  said  to  possess  wonderful  cura- 
tive qualities  for  eczema  and  other  cutaneous  troubles; 
also  for  rheumatism  and  blood  complaints  of  all  kinds. 
Whether  those  waters  were  really  beneficial  or  not,  it  was 
not  possible  to  ascertain  on  a passing  visit.  I drank  some 
of  the  water  and  it  did  me  no  harm,  so  if  it  does  no  good, 
neither  is  it  injurious. 

The  village  of  Caldas  showed  signs  of  having  seen 
better  days.  It  was  clean-looking,  but  like  all  other 
villages  of  Goyaz  it  was  dreary  in  the  extreme.  There 
were  only  a few  houses  in  the  place,  and  each  had  a shop; 
all  the  shops  sold  similar  articles : nickel-plated  revolvers, 

67 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


spurs  and  daggers,  calicoes,  gaudy  wearing-apparel, 
perfumery,  and  so  on. 

For  any  one  interested  in  the  study  of  the  effects  of 
erosion  on  a gigantic  scale,  no  more  suitable  country 
could  be  found  than  Central  Brazil.  Here  again  to  the 
east-northeast  of  Caldas  stood  the  Serra  do  Sappe.  In 
this  case  it  was  not  a tableland,  like  the  Serra  de  Caldas, 
but  purely  a hill  range.  The  plateau  of  Serra  de  Caldas, 
I was  told,  measured  on  its  summit  12  kilometres  by  18 
kilometres. 

Again,  after  leaving  Caldas,  we  went  through  most 
wonderful  grazing  ground  to  the  northeast  and  east  of 
our  route,  at  the  foot  of  the  Serra  do  Sappe.  We  had 
descended  to  the  Rio  Lagiadi,  2,480  feet  above  the  sea 
level,  which  flowed  into  the  Pirapitinga  River  ( a tributary 
of  the  Corumba).  Once  more  did  we  admire,  that  even- 
ing, the  remarkable  effect  of  solar  radiation,  this  time 
a double  radiation  with  one  centre  — the  sun  — to  the 
west,  and  a second  centre,  at  a point  diametrically 
opposite,  to  the  east.  Those  radiations,  with  a gradually 
expanded  width,  rose  to  the  highest  point  of  the  celestial 
vault,  where  they  met.  The  effect  was  gorgeous  indeed, 
and  gave  the  observer  the  impression  of  being  enclosed  in 
the  immeasurable  interior  of  an  amazingly  beautiful 
sea-shell,  turned  inside  out. 

We  arrived  in  the  evening  at  the  farm  of  Laza 
(elevation  2,450  feet),  where  we  had  to  abandon  the 
wounded  mule,  and  also  another  which,  on  coming  down 
a steep  incline,  had  badly  injured  its  fore-leg. 

The  pack-saddles  used  in  the  interior  of  Brazil  (Minas 
Geraes,  Goyaz,  and  Matto  Grosso)  were  the  most  im- 
practicable, torturing  arrangements  I have  ever  had  to 
use  on  my  travels.  The  natives  swore  by  them  — it  was 
sufficient  for  anything  to  be  absurdly  unpractical  for 
them  to  do  so.  It  only  led,  as  it  did  with  me  at  first, 
to  continuous  unpleasantness,  wearying  discussions, 

68 


TORTURING  ARRANGEMENTS 


and  eventual  failure,  if  one  tried  to  diverge  from  the 
local  habits,  or  attempted  to  eradicate  deeply-rooted 
ideas. 

Let  me  describe  a typical  Brazilian  pack-saddle.  It 
weighed,  with  its  inseparable  protecting  hide,  well  over 
90  pounds.  It  was  bulky  and  cumbersome,  most  difficult 
to  lift  and  set  right  on  the  animal’s  back.  It  consisted 
of  two  great  parallel,  clumsily  carved,  heavy,  U-shaped 
pieces  of  wood,  supported  upright  on  two  enormous  pads, 
at  least  double  the  size  and  thickness  necessary.  The 
breast  and  tail  pieces  were  of  extra  thick  leather  of  great 
width,  which  had  the  double  disadvantage  of  being  heavy 
and  of  producing  bad  sores  by  their  constant  friction  and 
hard,  saw-like,  cutting  edges.  Then  the  saddle  allowed 
the  loads  to  hang  much  too  low  on  the  sides  of  the  animal’s 
body.  This  naturally  saved  trouble  and  effort  to  the  men 
who  packed  the  animals.  Two  of  them  simply  lifted  the 
loads  simultaneously  on  the  two  sides  and  hooked  them 
to  the  saddle,  by  means  of  adjusted  loops  of  leather  or 
rope.  Then  came  the  difficulty  of  keeping  the  loads  in 
position,  so  that  they  would  not  shift  back  and  forth. 
This  was  done  by  passing  a leather  thong  over  all  and 
under  the  animal’s  belly,  which  was  then  squeezed  beyond 
all  measure.  Result  of  this:  continuous  trouble  to  pack 
rebellious  animals,  who  knew  what  was  coming;  painful 
marching  for  the  animals,  who  thus  had  difficulty  in 
breathing,  and  therefore  extra  long  marches,  almost  an 
impossibility  without  much  injury  to  them.  We  will  not 
speak  of  sore  backs,  sore  sides,  sore  chests,  and  sore  tail 
root  — which  was  a matter  of  course  after  a pack  animal 
had  borne  for  a few  hours  one  of  those  torturing 
arrangements  on  its  back. 

I had  tried  to  adopt  lighter  saddles  of  a more  practical 
design,  such  as  I had  used  on  other  expeditions;  but  as 
this  involved  a different  method  altogether  of  packing  the 
animals,  it  led  to  much  derision,  unpleasantness,  and  re- 

69 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


fusal  to  do  the  work  except  in  their  own  stupid  way,  so 
that  in  order  to  save  time,  expense,  and  trouble  I had  to 
conform,  much  against  my  will,  to  the  Brazilian  method. 
It  was  an  impossibility  to  induce  a Brazilian  of  the  interior 
to  agree  that  any  other  way  of  doing  anything  was  better 
or  even  as  good  as  his  own. 

A painful  phase  of  human  existence,  as  the  country 
became  more  and  more  sparsely  inhabited,  was  the  num- 
ber, relative  to  the  population,  of  cases  of  sexual  insanity, 
due  naturally  to  the  great  difficulty  of  intercourse.  We 
will  not  refer  to  sexual  vices  — extremely  common  — 
which  reduced  the  few  inhabitants  to  a state  of  absolute 
idiocy.  Thus  at  Laza  farm  there  were  only  three  women 
and  no  men.  They  were  all  of  a certain  age,  and  for 
many,  many  years  had  been  there  alone,  and  had  not  seen 
a man.  They  had  become  absolutely  insane,  and  it 
required  no  little  tact  to  prevent  a catastrophe.  One  — 
a repulsive,  toothless,  black  woman,  formerly  a slave 
- — was  in  such  an  excited  state  of  mind  that  I was  really 
glad  when  I saw  my  troop  of  animals  started  on  the 
march  early  the  next  morning. 

On  April  sixth  we  were  still  on  the  north  side  of  the 
Serra  de  Caldas,  at  the  northernmost  point  of  which 
flowed  a riberao,  or  great  river  (elevation  2,450  feet). 
Most  beautiful  grazing  land  spread  to  the  north  of  us, 
enormous  stretches  of  undulating  country,  verdant  with 
delicious  grass.  The  Sappe  Mountains  were  still  visible 
in  the  distance. 

Marching  through  enchanting  country,  almost  level, 
or  merely  rising  or  descending  a few  feet,  with  a mag- 
nificent view  of  distant  mountains  to  our  right  and  of 
low,  flat  plains  and  far-away  tablelands  to  our  left,  we 
arrived,  after  a morning’s  march  of  36  kilometres,  at  the 
fazenda  of  Pouso  Alto  (elevation  2,600  feet). 

Outwardly  Pouso  Alto  was  by  far  the  neatest-looking 
fazenda  we  had  seen  since  leaving  Araguary,  but  within 

70 


FORMER  PROSPERITY 


the  house  the  floor  was  a mass  of  dirt.  Fowls  were  run- 
ning to  and  fro  all  over  the  rooms.  They  contained  a 
rough  table  of  Portuguese  origin,  a couple  of  benches  so 
dirty  that  one  did  not  dare  to  sit  on  them,  some  roughly 
made  bedsteads,  miserable  and  filthy;  but  no  washstands 
or  basins,  no  articles  of  necessity  were  anywhere  to  be 
observed  or  found.  The  mattresses,  if  one  can  elevate 
them  to  the  dignity  of  such  a name,  since  they  were  mere 
bags,  filled  with  anything  that  had  been  found  handy,  such 
as  the  leaves  and  stalks  of  Indian-corn,  wool  and  dried 
grass,  were  rolled  up  in  the  daytime.  Only  one  bed  was 
still  made  up.  On  it  a cackling  hen  was  busy  laying  an 
egg.  That  egg,  a very  good  egg,  was  triumphantly  served 
to  me  for  breakfast. 

The  walls  of  nearly  all  the  farmhouses  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  Province  of  Goyaz  were  made  of  wooden 
lattice  work,  the  square  cavities  formed  by  the  cross  sticks 
being  filled  in,  and  the  whole  plastered  over  with  mud, 
which  eventually  became  hard  when  dry.  Near  the 
foundations  the  walls  were  strengthened  with  mud  bricks, 
half  baked. 

Evidently,  as  was  the  case  with  this  particular  old 
house,  in  former  days,  in  the  time  of  the  Emperor,  when 
Goyaz  was  more  prosperous  than  it  is  now,  most  of  the 
houses  were  whitewashed  — a luxury  in  which,  in  these 
days  of  misery,  the  farmers  can  no  longer  indulge.  The 
doors  and  windows  were  rambling,  though  the  frames 
of  them  were  generally  solidly  made,  but  one  never 
saw  a pane  of  glass  in  any  window  anywhere  in  the 
country.  At  night  the  people  barricaded  themselves  se- 
curely in  their  rooms  and  let  no  air  in.  This  was  partly 
due  to  fear  of  attack.  Whenever  a building  was  white- 
washed, one  invariably  saw  on  it  the  impression  of  its 
owner’s  spread  hand  in  outline,  or  else  his  signature  in  blue 
paint.  The  favourite  colours  in  house  decoration,  where 
any  were  noticeable,  were  blue  and  a dirty  cinnabar  red. 

71 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


Dogs  were  numerous  everywhere,  and,  like  their 
masters,  were  indolent  and  sleepy. 

In  the  afternoon  of  that  same  day  we  travelled  some 
13  kilometres  more,  on  practically  level  ground  inter- 
sected by  a couple  of  streamlets.  Marching  through 
thinly  wooded  country,  grassy  here  and  there,  one  began 
to  notice  a variation  in  the  scenery,  which  was  gradually 
becoming  more  tropical  in  appearance.  Palm  trees, 
especially  burity  ( Mauritia  vinifera  M.),  in  single  speci- 
mens or  in  groups,  could  be  seen  in  the  great  stretches  of 
good  grazing  country  which  appeared  on  both  sides  of 
our  course. 

We  spent  the  night  at  the  fazenda  of  Ritiro  Alegre 
(elevation  2,450  feet),  which  words  translated  mean  “the 
merry  rest  ” — a most  undeserved  name,  I can  assure  you, 
for  neither  merriment  nor  rest  was  to  be  obtained  there. 
An  evening  in  a Brazilian  farm  was,  nevertheless,  not 
devoid  of  interest  or  of  comic  scenes. 

These  people  evidently  valued  little  the  life  of  their 
children.  As  I was  sitting  on  the  doorstep,  waiting  for 
my  dinner  to  be  cooked,  a little  child  of  eight  came  gallop- 
ing down  at  a breakneck  speed  and  riding  bareback,  a 
smaller  child  of  one  slung  under  his  arm  and  squealing 
terribly.  They  both  landed  safely  at  the  door.  Then  there 
appeared  one  of  the  picturesque  carts  drawn  by  twelve 
oxen,  anxiously  awaited  by  the  family.  Twenty  snarling, 
snorting  ill-natured  pigs  provided  enough  noise  to  impair 
seriously  the  drums  of  one’s  ears ; and  when  you  added  to 
this  the  monotonous  bellowing  of  cows  and  oxen,  the 
frantic  neighing  of  horses  and  mules  waiting  to  be  fed, 
the  crowing  of  cocks  and  the  cackling  of  hens,  the  un- 
musical shrieks  of  a beautiful  arara  (or  macaw,  of  gor- 
geous green,  blue,  and  yellow  plumage) , and  of  two  green 
parrots  — to  which  total  add,  please,  the  piercing  yells  of 
the  children  — it  was  really  enough  to  drive  one  insane. 

They  were  superior  farmers,  those  of  the  “ Merry 

72 


A NIGHT  IN  A FARMHOUSE 


Rest  ” ; no  one  could  doubt  it  when  the  lady  of  the  house 
and  her  pretty  daughter  arrived  from  an  errand  and 
found  strangers  in  the  house.  Dear  me,  what  style,  what 
enchanting  affectation  the  pretty  maid  and  her  mamma 
put  on  when  they  perceived  us!  With  an  air  of  solemnity 
that  was  really  delightful,  they  each  offered  the  tip  of 
one  finger  for  us  to  shake,  and  spoke  with  such  affectation 
that  their  words  stumbled  one  against  the  other.  Their 
vocabulary  was  evidently  restricted,  and  in  order  to  make 
the  conversation  elegant,  they  interpolated  high-sounding 
words  which  did  not  exactly  belong,  but  sounded  grand 
in  their  ears.  It  was  a trial  to  remain  serious. 

Dinner  was  served  — always  the  same  fare  wherever 
you  went.  Boiled  rice  (very  badly  boiled),  beans,  stewed 
chicken  chopped  up,  pimienta  (peppers),  fried  eggs,  and 
Indian  corn  flour,  which  one  mixed  up  together  on  one’s 
plate  and  rendered  into  a paste.  The  coffee  was  always 
plentiful  and  good,  but  so  strong  that  it  was  quite  bitter. 

By  the  light  of  a wick  which  burned  and  smoked 
terribly  from  the  neck  of  an  ex-medicine  bottle  filled  with 
oil,  we  enjoyed  our  meal,  watched  intently  by  the  entire 
family,  silent  and  flattened  in  semi-obscurity  against  the 
walls.  The  primitive  lamp  gave  so  little  light,  although 
it  gave  abundant  smell,  that  the  many  figures  were  almost 
indistinguishable  against  the  dirty  background,  and  all 
one  perceived  on  raising  one’s  eyes  from  the  dinner-plate 
was  a row  of  expanded  eyes,  following  the  movements  of 
our  hands,  and  just  under  that  row  a line  of  white  teeth. 

When  in  a stronger  light,  it  was  curious  to  notice 
criminal  characteristics  on  nearly  every  face  one  saw;  in 
the  servants  at  those  farmhouses  one  frequently  observed 
murderous-looking  creatures  whom  one  would  not  care  to 
meet  alone  in  the  dark.  They  were  a special  breed  of 
stranded  outcasts  who  had  drifted  there;  the  outcome  of 
a complex  mixture  of  Portuguese,  former  black  slaves, 
and  Indians.  When  you  realized  that  the  people  who  had 

73 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


drifted  into  the  interior  were  the  worst  Portuguese,  the 
worst  blacks,  and  the  Indians  who  intermarried  with  these 
gentry  the  worst  Indians,  you  can  well  imagine  what  fine 
results  could  be  expected  from  such  a breed. 

One  trait  predominant  among  these  people  was  the 
unreasonable  jealousy  of  the  men  over  their  women.  Had 
they  been  so  many  Venuses  of  Milo  the  men  could  not 
have  guarded  them  with  more  ferocity.  I am  sure  it 
would  take  a brave  man  indeed,  and,  above  all,  a totally 
blind  man,  to  fall  in  love  with  the  farmers’  wives, 
daughters,  or  servants  of  the  Province  of  Goyaz. 

I must  say  this  in  favour  of  my  Brazilian  men,  that, 
whatever  other  faults  they  may  have  had,  they  always 
behaved  in  a most  chivalrous,  dignified  way  with  the 
women-folk  we  met.  Never  once  did  I have  to  repri- 
mand them. 

In  the  morning,  as  the  cows  were  driven  into  the  yard 
to  be  milked,  and  the  calves  were  being  suckled  by  their 
mothers,  and  the  children,  rubbing  their  sleepy  eyes  with 
the  backs  of  their  hands,  scrambled  out  of  the  house  upon 
their  drowsy  legs,  the  girls  of  the  family  brought  the  last 
cups  of  coffee  to  us  departing  strangers.  We  packed  our 
animals,  paid  the  bill,  and  were  off  again. 

On  April  seventh  we  crossed  the  Piracanjuga  River, 
another  tributary  of  the  Corumba,  50  yards  wide,  flowing 
from  northeast  to  southwest,  at  an  elevation  of  2,300  feet. 
One  league  (6  kilometres,  600  millimetres)  farther  on  we 
crossed  another  stream  flowing  east,  in  its  turn  a tributary 
of  the  Piracanjuga. 

One  of  the  most  beautiful  trees  in  that  region  was  the 
caneleira,  of  the  family  of  the  Laurineas.  Beautiful,  too, 
were  the  oleo  pardo  and  vermelho  ( Myrocarpus  frondosus 
and  Myrospermum  erythrozylon ) . 

We  were  next  treated  to  a view  of  an  extensive, 
deliciously  green  valley,  most  excellent  for  grazing 
purposes,  extending  from  north  to  south  to  the  west  of 

74 


A BEAUTIFUL  VALLEY 


our  route.  In  the  central  depression  of  this  valley  were 
burity  palms  in  abundance.  They  say  that  wherever  you 
find  a burity,  you  are  sure  to  find  water.  It  is  perfectly 
true,  as  the  burity  flourishes  only  where  there  is  a good 
deal  of  moisture  in  the  soil. 

Having  crossed  a low  pass,  we  found  ourselves  in 
another  valley  — this  one  sparsely  wooded  (2,500  feet 
above  the  sea  level),  very  beautiful,  with  undulations  some 
200  feet  high,  and  with  streamlets  at  the  bottom  of  most 
of  the  undulations.  The  summit  of  the  highest  elevation 
on  that  undulating  land  was  2,750  feet,  the  level  of  the 
principal  streamlet  2,600  feet  above  the  sea. 


75 


CHAPTER  VI 


Inquisitiveness  — Snakes  — A Wonderful  Cure  — Butterflies  — 
A Striking  Scene 


TWENTY-NINE  kilometres  from  the  “ Merry 
Rest  ” we  arrived  at  the  little  town  of  Pouso  Alto 
— duly  translated  “ high  camp  ” — situated  2,750 
feet  above  the  sea  level  on  an  elevation  between  the  two 
rivers  Piracanjuba  and  the  Furmiga,  which  afterwards 
became  the  Rio  Meio  Ponte,  throwing  itself  into  the 
Paranahyba  River. 

Pouso  Alto  was  like  all  the  other  villas  or  settlements 
of  Goyaz,  only  perhaps  a little  larger.  The  same  white- 
washed houses  with  doors  and  windows  decorated  with 
blue,  the  same  abandoned,  deserted  look  of  the  principal 
square  and  streets;  in  fact,  another  “city  of  the  dead.” 
Only  two  men  drinking  in  the  local  store  were  visible  in 
the  whole  village. 

The  usual  impertinent  questions  had  to  be  answered. 
“Who  are  you?  Why  do  you  come  here?  Is  your 
country  as  beautiful  as  ours?  Have  you  any  cities  as 
large  as  ours  in  your  country?  How  much  money  have 
you?  Are  you  married?  You  are  English;  then  you 
come  here  to  steal  our  gold  and  diamonds.” 

“ Have  you  any  gold  and  diamonds  here?  ” 

“No!” 


“ No,  you  cannot  travel  for  pleasure.  The  English 
travel  only  to  take  away  all  the  riches  from  other 
countries!  Those  instruments  you  carry”  (a  compass 
and  two  aneroids)  “ are  those  that  tell  you  where  to  dig 
for  gold!  ” 


76 


FUNEREAL  TOWNS 


I could  not  help  remarking  to  this  gentleman  that  so 
far  the  country  I had  traversed  seemed  merely  to  be  rich 
in  misery,  that  was  all. 

Nothing  more  funereal  than  those  little  towns  could 
be  imagined.  My  men  intended  remaining  there  for  the 
night,  but  I insisted  on  pushing  on  for  a few  more  kilo- 
metres, especially  as  in  these  places  my  men  were  led  to 
drink  and  became  unmanageable.  On  we  went  for  nine 
kilometres  to  the  farm  of  Bellianti  (elevation  2,500  feet 
above  the  sea  level ) . 

On  April  eighth  we  made  an  early  start  and  travelled 
through  a luxuriant  forest,  which  was  daily  getting  more 
and  more  tropical  as  we  went  farther  north.  Do  not 
forget  we  were,  of  course,  south  of  the  equator. 

Thirteen  kilometres  from  camp  we  crossed  the  Rio 
Furmiga  (or  Meio  Ponte)  about  100  yards  wide,  flowing 
there  in  a direction  from  east  to  west  at  an  elevation  of 
2,000  feet.  Most  gorgeous,  richly  verdant  vegetation 
overhung  and  festooned  the  banks  of  the  stream. 

As  we  went  farther  toward  the  interior,  the  vegetation 
grew  more  beautiful,  the  people  more  repulsive.  The 
majority  of  the  people  suffered  from  goitre  in  more  or 
less  advanced  stages.  Many  were  affected  by  leprosy. 

We  were  in  a region  where  oranges  (imported,  of 
course)  of  most  excellent,  juicy  quality  were  obtainable; 
for  instance,  at  the  farm  of  Felicidade  (elevation  2,350 
feet).  All  those  farms  — very  old  — showed  signs  of 
having  seen  better  days;  no  doubt  when  slavery  existed 
in  a legal  form  in  Brazil  and  it  was  possible  to  work  those 
estates  profitably.  With  the  prohibitive  price  of  labour, 
and  in  fact  the  impossibility  of  obtaining  labour  at  any 
price  in  the  interior,  farming  cannot  indeed  flourish 
to-day.  The  comparatively  few  immigrants  who  landed  at 
the  various  ports  in  Brazil  were  at  once  absorbed  near  the 
coast,  and  seldom  left  the  port  of  landing,  where  labour 
was  anxiously  required. 


77 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


For  the  first  time,  that  day  did  I see  two  snakes, 
which  were  concealed  in  the  deep  grooves  left  by  a cart 
wheel.  One  wound  itself  around  the  front  leg  of  my 
mule,  and  for  a moment  I was  anxious  lest  the  animal  had 
been  bitten;  but  fortunately  the  snake,  which  had  been 
trodden  upon,  did  no  damage.  Only  rarely  did  we  see 
a bird  anywhere,  except  in  villages,  where  an  occasional 
crow,  with  its  dried-up  neck  and  jerky  motions,  could  be 
seen.  How  like  the  inhabitants  those  birds  were! 

Twenty-seven  kilometres  farther,  we  reached  Santo 
Antonio,  a village  situated  in  quite  a heavenly  spot,  2,800 
feet  above  the  sea  level,  but  in  itself  one  of  the  most 
miserable  villages  I have  ever  seen.  There  were  altogether 
some  forty  houses  scattered  about,  eight  of  which  were 
along  the  sides  of  the  principal  square  — an  abandoned 
field.  The  church  had  the  appearance  of  a disused  barn. 
A large  wooden  cross  stood  in  front  of  it,  upon  which 
birds  had  built  their  nests.  Four  thin,  anemic-looking 
palms  stood  at  different  angles  by  the  side  of  the  cross. 
We  had  the  misfortune  to  stay  there  for  the  night.  By 
seven  o’clock  everybody  had  barricaded  their  houses  and 
had  retired  to  sleep.  There  was,  of  course,  no  such  thing 
as  a post-office  or  a telegraph  in  the  place.  The  nearest 
place  where  a letter  could  be  posted  was  some  72  kilo- 
metres away,  on  the  high  road  between  Goyaz  and 
Catalao.  Goats  tied  in  pairs,  with  a log  of  wood  between 
in  order  to  keep  them  apart,  seemed  to  have  the  run  of 
the  place,  and  were  the  only  things  there  which  appeared 
to  have  any  life  in  them. 

But  if  the  place  was  miserable,  if  the  natives  were 
repulsive  and  dull,  there  was  plenty  to  be  thankful  for 
in  admiration  of  the  really  glorious  country  around,  and 
the  superb  sunsets  to  which  we  were  treated  every  evening. 
Again  that  evening,  when  everybody  in  the  place  was 
slumbering,  the  sunset  was  more  wonderful  than  words 
can  describe.  The  usual  radiations,  which  again  reached 

78 


GLORIOUS  LANDSCAPE 


the  highest  point  of  the  sky’s  vault,  were  that  night  white 
on  the  west,  with  corresponding  ones  of  brilliant  cobalt 
blue  to  the  east. 

A drizzling  rain  rendered  the  night  cold  and  damp, 
although  the  Fahrenheit  thermometer  registered  a mini- 
mum temperature  of  70°. 

On  leaving  Santo  Antonio,  the  trail  ascended  to  a 
height  of  3,100  feet  (4%  kilometres  from  the  village),  and 
we  were  then  in  a rich  forest  region,  where  the  acaju  — 
of  the  Terebinthacece  family  — was  plentiful,  with  its 
huge  leaves  and  contorted  branches.  The  acaju  produced 
a refreshing  fruit,  either  of  a bright  red  or  else  of  a yellow 
colour,  not  unlike  a large  pepper,  outside  of  which  was 
strongly  attached  a seed  possessing  highly  caustic  quali- 
ties. Many  gordinha  trees  were  also  to  be  seen.  It  was 
interesting  to  see  how  those  zones  of  forest  were  suddenly 
succeeded  by  beautiful  and  vast  areas  of  grazing  land, 
such  as  we  found  that  day.  We  crossed  three  streams 
at  the  respective  elevations  of  2,550  feet,  2,650  feet,  and 
2,750  feet,  after  which  we  reached  an  elevation  of  3,000 
feet,  the  highest  we  had  so  far  attained  on  our  route 
from  the  coast,  where  we  found  ourselves  on  a grassy 
tableland  of  considerable  beauty.  Looking  back  to  the 
south-southeast,  we  perceived  the  two  hill  ranges,  one 
behind  the  other,  which  we  had  crossed.  Between  them 
and  us  were  marvellous  slopes  covered  with  green  grass, 
but  not  in  the  lower  portion,  where  bordering  the  stream 
was  luxuriant  forest.  This  was  noticeable  also  on  a hill 
to  the  west,  forming  a minor  tableland  with  rounded 
sides. 

To  the  north-northeast  was  a perfectly  flat  plateau. 
The  distance  rendered  it  of  a deep  blue,  and  its  level 
sky-line  gave  the  appearance  of  the  horizon  upon  the 
ocean,  except  that  two  small  peaks  stood  up  slightly  above 
the  elevation  of  the  plateau.  On  all  that  beautiful  land 
only  two  small  miserable  farms  were  to  be  seen.  Yet  it 

79 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


seemed  to  be  a paradise  on  earth:  delightful  climate, 
excellent  soil,  useful  woods  in  the  forest,  plenty  of 
delicious  water. 

Three  more  streamlets  flowing  from  west  to  east  were 
encountered  at  elevations  of  2,700  feet,  2,750  feet,  and 
2,800  feet,  with  undulating  grassy  land  between  of 
wonderful  beauty. 

Having  deviated  somewhat  from  our  route,  we  at 
last  descended  into  a grassy  valley,  absolutely  flat,  the 
best  of  all  we  had  seen.  It  had  been  fenced  all  round. 
Upon  inquiry,  I learned  that  it  had  been  acquired  by  the 
Redemptionist  Friars.  There  is  one  thing  friars  certainly 
know.  It  is  how  to  select  the  best  land  anywhere  to  settle 
upon. 

We  had  travelled  46  kilometres,  200  millimetres  that 
day,  when  we  arrived  at  Campinas  (elevation  2,550  feet 
above  the  sea  level ) , the  usual  kind  of  filthy  village  with 
tiny,  one-storied  houses,  more  like  toys  than  real  liveable 
habitations.  This  time  the  doors  and  windows  were 
bordered  with  grey  instead  of  blue.  On  nearing  those 
villages  in  Central  Brazil,  one  frequently  found  an  abun- 
dance of  rough  wooden  crosses  scattered  upon  the 
landscape.  They  marked  the  spots  where  individuals 
had  been  killed. 

In  the  room  where  I put  up  in  the  village,  in  the 
hospedagen,  or  rest-house,  the  floor  was  besmeared  with 
blood,  the  result  of  a recent  murder.  The  shops  grew 
more  and  more  uninteresting  as  we  got  farther  into  the 
interior.  The  difficulties  of  transport  were  naturally 
greater,  the  prices  rose  by  leaps  and  bounds,  as  we  got 
farther;  the  population  got  poorer  and  poorer,  for  lack 
of  enterprise.  The  articles  of  luxury  and  vanity,  so  fre- 
quently seen  in  shops  before,  were  now  altogether  absent, 
and  only  bottles  of  inferior  liquor  and  beer,  matches,  and 
candles  were  sold;  that  was  all.  No  trade,  no  industry, 
no  money,  existed  in  those  places.  If  one  happened  to 

80 


BRAZILIAN  PACK-SADDLES. 


A TYPICAL  VILLAGE. 

The  higher  building  is  the  church. 


author’s  caravan  about  to  cross  the  corumba. 


BURITY  PALMS. 


A WOUNDED  MULE 


pay  with  a five  or  a ten-milreis  note  (6s.  8 d.  or  13s.  4d.), 
one  could  never  obtain  change.  Frequently,  unless  you 
wished  to  leave  the  change  behind,  you  were  obliged  to 
carry  away  the  balance  in  cheap  stearine  or  beer.  I took 
the  stearine.  A short  distance  from  the  town  was  a 
seminary,  with  four  German  friars,  very  fat,  very  jolly, 
very  industrious. 

Alcides,  one  of  my  men,  was  by  way  of  being  a 
veterinary  surgeon.  Here  is  how  he  cured  a wounded 
mule,  which,  having  received  a powerful  kick  from  an- 
other animal,  displayed  a gash  three  inches  long  in  her 
back,  and  so  deep  that  the  entire  hand  could  be  inserted 
and  actually  disappear  into  the  wound.  Francisco, 
another  of  my  men,  having  duly  and  firmly  tied  the 
animal’s  legs  — a sensible  precaution  — proceeded  with 
his  naked  arm  to  search  for  bishus:  anything  living  is  a 
bishu  in  Brazil,  from  an  elephant  to  a flea;  but  in  this 
particular  case  it  was  applied  to  insects,  such  as  carrapatos, 
maggots,  or  parasites,  which  might  have  entered  the 
wound.  Having  done  this  at  considerable  length  and 
care,  he  proceeded  to  tear  off  with  his  nails  the  sore  edges 
of  the  laceration,  after  which  he  inserted  into  the  gash  a 
pad  of  cotton-wool  soaked  in  creoline.  That  was  the 
treatment  for  the  first  day.  The  second  day,  the  wound 
proceeding  satisfactorily,  he  inserted  into  it,  together  with 
his  hand,  a whole  lemon  in  which  he  had  made  a cut,  and 
squeezed  its  juice  within  the  raw  flesh.  The  amazing  part 
of  it  all  was  that  the  animal,  with  an  additional  bath  or 
two  of  salt  and  water,  recovered  absolutely  from  the 
wound  and  got  perfectly  well. 

The  Redemptionist  monks  had  a fine  vineyard  adjoin- 
ing their  monastery  — the  only  one  of  any  size  and 
importance  we  had  seen  since  leaving  the  railway  — and 
also  some  lovely  orange  groves  in  a walled  enclosure. 
They  had  built  a mill  on  the  bank  of  the  stream.  Most 
of  that  beautiful  valley  for  miles  and  miles  belonged  to 

VOL.  I.  0 g]^ 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


them.  The  town  of  Campinas,  not  to  be  confounded 
with  Campinas  of  Sao  Paulo  Province,  had  a population 
of  600  souls. 

When  we  left  that  place  the  next  morning,  again  we 
■went  across  beautiful  flat  stretches  of  grassy  land  several 
miles  long  and  broad,  regular  tablelands,  at  an  elevation 
of  2,700  feet:  most  wonderful  pasture  lands  now  going 
absolutely  to  waste.  Plentiful  streamlets  intersected 
those  lovely  meadows  at  a slightly  lower  elevation  of 
merely  a few  feet,  where  the  water  had  eroded  itself  a 
channel.  Those  streams  were  generally  bordered  by  a 
thick  growth  of  trees  and  entangled  vegetation.  We 
stopped  for  lunch  at  the  farm  of  Boa  Vista  (Belvedere  or 
Fine  View),  so  called,  according  to  the  usual  Brazilian 
way  of  reasoning,  because  it  wTas  situated  in  a deep  hollow 
from  which  you  could  see  nothing  at  all!  Another  more 
rational  name  which  this  place  also  possessed  wras  Bocca 
do  Matto  (Mouth  of  the  Forest),  because  it  truly  was 
at  the  entrance  of  a thick  forest  extending  to  the  north. 

We  wrent,  in  fact,  from  that  point  through  densely 
w^ooded  country,  although  the  trees  wrere  of  no  great 
height  or  size.  The  ground  was  swampy  and  sloppy, 
most  unpleasant  for  marching,  for  some  19  kilometres, 
until  we  arrived  at  Goyabeira  (elevation  2,700  feet), 
having  covered  56  kilometres,  100  millimetres  that  day 
— not  at  all  bad  marching,  considering  that  v^e  could 
not  change  animals  and  that  wre  conveyed  all  our  baggage 
along  with  us. 

I saw*  that  day  another  snake,  called  by  the  natives 
duas  cabecas  (and  Tu  Nou),  or  double-headed  snake, 
because  its  marking  gives  that  impression  at  first  sight. 

After  leaving  Goyabeira,  the  thick  growth  continued 
over  several  ridges,  the  highest  of  which  vTas  2,950  feet, 
wTith  streams  between  at  elevations  respectively  of  2,630 
and  2,700  feet.  I noticed  in  the  forest  some  beautiful 
paneira  trees,  with  their  trunks  enlarged  near  the  base  — 

82 


AFFECTIONATE  BUTTERFLIES 


a regular  swelling  all  round.  One  of  the  peculiarities  of 
this  tree  is  that  it  produces  a kind  of  vegetable  wool 
contained  within  fairly  hard  capsules. 

That  was  indeed  a day  of  surprises  for  us.  As  we  were 
proceeding  over  another  hill  range  between  two  streams 
(elevation  2,850  feet),  we  saw  at  last  some  butterflies  of 
a gorgeous  lemon  yellow,  some  of  a rich  orange,  others 
of  red  and  black,  great  numbers  of  pure  white,  and  some 
huge  ones  of  an  indescribably  beautiful,  metallic  blue 
colour.  There  were  swarms  of  them  near  the  water.  So 
unaccustomed  were  they  to  see  human  beings  that  many 
settled  on  my  white  coat  and  on  my  straw  hat  and  were 
carried  along  undisturbed  for  long  distances  upon  my 
person.  They  were  so  beautiful  that  I had  not  the  desire 
to  kill  them,  even  for  the  sake  of  bringing  back  a valuable 
collection.  It  would  have  been  easy  to  capture  them,  as 
you  could  touch  them  several  times  with  your  fingers 
before  they  would  fly  away.  One  butterfly  particularly 
took  a great  fancy  to  my  left  hand,  in  which  I held  the 
reins  of  my  mule,  and  on  which  it  sat  during  our  marches 
for  several  days  — much  to  my  inconvenience,  for  I was 
afraid  of  injuring  it.  It  would  occasionally  fly  away 
and  then  return.  At  night,  while  we  were  camping,  I 
transferred  it  to  my  straw  hat,  on  which  it  quietly 
remained  until  the  next  morning.  The  moment  I had 
mounted  my  mule,  the  butterfly  would  at  once  fly  again 
to  my  hand.  This  great  affection  was  due  chiefly,  I 
believe,  not  to  any  magnetic  attraction,  but  merely  to  the 
delicately  scented  soap  which  I used  in  my  morning  bath, 
and  which  greatly  attracted  the  butterfly. 

On  many  occasions  on  that  expedition  I had  similar 
experiences  with  butterflies. 

For  the  first  time,  too,  I perceived  that  day  a few 
colibris  — tiny  humming  birds  of  wonderful  plumage. 

Twenty-three  kilometres  from  Goyabeira,  after  many 
ups  and  downs  along  a deep-channelled,  slushy  trail,  and 

83 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


after  crossing  over  several  swampy,  troublesome  stream- 
lets, we  suddenly  emerged  into  a marvellous,  undulating, 
grassy  plain  with  numerous  fat  cattle  grazing  upon  it. 
In  the  distance,  upon  the  hillside,  four  or  five  farm-sheds 
could  be  perceived.  We  had  stopped  at  one  farm  on  the 
way  in  hopes  of  getting  food,  but  they  could  sell  us  only 
some  feijao  — beans  soaked  in  lard  — so  that  it  was  with 
some  haste  that  we  directed  our  mules  to  the  more 
imposing  building,  in  expectation  of  finding  there  at  least 
some  rice  and  eggs.  We  hurriedly  crossed  the  plain  and 
then  the  stream,  and  halted  at  the  Cachoeira  Grande 
(Grand  Rapid)  farm,  2,950  feet  above  the  sea  level.  A 
pure  negro  was  in  charge  of  the  place,  whose  wife  was 
also  as  black  as  the  ace  of  spades.  Curiously  enough, 
they  possessed  a child  much  lighter  coloured  and  with 
golden  hair  and  blue  eyes.  Such  things  will  happen  in 
the  best  regulated  countries.  The  black  man  swore  it 
was  his  own  child,  and  we  took  — or,  rather,  did  not  take 
— his  word  for  it. 

We  went  on  13  more  kilometres  that  afternoon,  when 
we  were  overtaken  by  a hurricane  and  torrential  rain 
which  drenched  us  to  the  marrow  of  our  bones.  We  halted 
for  the  night  at  the  farm  of  Lagoa  formosa  (Beautiful 
Lagoon) , 3,000  feet  above  the  sea  level. 

On  April  twelfth  we  proceeded  to  climb  the  dividing 
range  between  the  waters  flowing  south  into  the  Parana- 
hvba  (afterward  called  the  Parana)  River,  and  those 
flowing  north  eventually  into  the  Amazon.  This  range  of 
mountains  was  by  some  called  Serra  de  Sta.  Rita,  by 
others  Serra  Dourada.  It  was  not  possible  to  ascertain 
the  real  name  from  the  local  people,  who  could  tell  me 
the  names  of  no  place,  or  mountain,  or  stream,  and  hardly 
knew  the  names  of  their  own  homes. 

On  a flat  expanse  some  13  kilometres  from  Lagoa 
Formosa  we  came  upon  a small  lake.  We  travelled 
mostly  across  campos  (or  prairies),  with  waters  from 

84- 


A MOUNTAINOUS  REGION 


that  point  flowing  northward.  Seventeen  kilometres 
farther  we  entered  the  neat-looking  village  of  Curralhino 
(elevation  2,600  feet),  with  two  squares  and  streets 
actually  with  names  to  them.  We  were  from  this  point 
on  the  main  route  between  Sao  Paulo  and  the  capital  of 
Goyaz,  and  also  met  there  the  telegraph  line  between 
Goyaz  and  Sao  Paulo. 

We  were  getting  near  the  capital  of  the  province. 
A little  more  life  was  noticeable  in  this  settlement  than 
in  those  we  had  met  before.  Caravans  of  mules  and 
horses  occasionally  passed  through,  and  bullock-carts, 
with  eighteen  and  twenty  oxen,  slowly  and  squeakily  crept 
along.  We  were  going  through  a region  that  was  more 
than  hilly,  almost  mountainous,  the  first  of  the  kind  we 
had  encountered  since  leaving  the  railway. 

At  Camp  Maria  Alves  we  were  at  an  elevation  of 
3,000  feet.  Beautiful  crystals  were  to  be  found  at  and 
near  this  place.  Many  were  enclosed  in  hard  envelopes 
of  yellow  lava,  which  contained  besides  semi-crystallized 
matter  easily  crushed;  to  be  strictly  accurate,  the 
imprisoned  infinitesimal  crystals  were  easily  separated, 
under  gentle  pressure.  Some  spherical  balls  and  pellets 
of  lava  I picked  up,  when  split,  contained  red,  baked 
earth,  which  had  evidently  been  subjected  to  intense  heat. 
In  the  centre  of  these  pellets  one  or  more  crystals  of  great 
clearness  were  invariably  to  be  found.  These  pellets  must 
have  been  expelled  with  terrific  force  from  a volcanic  vent, 
and  must  have  travelled  great  distances,  for  the  depression 
where  I found  them  had  a surface  of  alluvial  formation. 

On  April  thirteenth  we  again  rose  over  a range  where 
we  encountered  a good  deal  of  igneous  rock  and  quantities 
of  beautiful  crystals.  We  had  a range  to  the  west  of  us 
and  one  higher  and  more  important  to  the  northeast,  the 
latter  more  broken  up  than  any  we  had  so  far  seen  in  the 
three  last  provinces  crossed.  We  somehow  missed  now 
the  lovely  pasture  lands  of  the  day  before,  so  refreshing 

85 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


to  the  eye,  and  the  landscape  had  suddenly  become  more 
rugged  and  barren,  except  near  water.  Some  nine  kilo- 
metres from  the  farm  Maria  Alves  the  Uru  or  Oruba  River 
(elevation  2,550  feet)  flowed  north;  there  it  is  merely  a 
picturesque  torrent  among  rocks  and  overhanging  vege- 
tation on  both  banks. 

The  wonderful  effect  of  erosion  was  noticeable  on  the 
mountain  sides  to  the  north  of  us,  where  it  had  left  a top 
terrace  with  deep  corrugations  in  the  lower  sides  of  the 
mountain.  A miserable-looking  farmhouse  could  be  seen 
here  and  there  — quite  as  miserable  as  the  country  in  itself 
was  rich.  Some  shaggy  policemen,  in  rags  and  bare- 
footed, passed  us,  guarding  an  ox-cart  conveying  treasure 
to  the  capital.  Only  the  oxen  and  some  cows  which  were 
about  looked  at  us  with  interest,  and  sniffed  us  — it  is 
wonderful  how  quick  animals  are  at  detecting  the  pres- 
ence of  strangers  — but  the  people  took  no  notice  of  us. 
Here  and  there  a tumbled-down  tree  blocked  the  way. 
There  were  tracts  of  pasture  land.  My  men  were 
considerably  excited  on  seeing  a poisonous  snake  crawl 
swiftly  towards  our  mules.  It  was  perhaps  an  absent- 
minded  or  a short-sighted  snake,  for  no  sooner  did  it 
realize  our  presence  than  it  quickly  veered  round  to  escape. 
My  men  killed  it. 

At  an  elevation  of  2,500  feet  we  met  a limpid  stream 
of  most  delicious  water.  At  that  particular  spot  it  flowed 
south. 

We  were  now  confronted  with  a range  of  actual 
mountains.  The  trail  took  us  over  wonderful,  rugged 
scenery,  masses  of  pillar-like,  grey  rock  of  granitic 
formation.  On  the  summit  of  the  pass  we  passed  over 
strata  of  half-solidified  tufa  in  sheets  — or  foliated  — 
easily  crumbled  and  finely  powdered  between  one’s 
fingers.  The  strata  were  at  an  angle  of  45°,  showing  that 
they  had  undergone  some  disturbance.  They  had  been 
subjected  to  great  heat,  for  in  some  places  they  had  been 

86 


A GREAT  SUBSIDENCE 


hard  baked,  which  rendered  them  of  a yellowish  brown 
colour.  On  the  left  of  us,  to  the  west,  a great  vertical 
pillar  of  rock  plainly  showed  the  stratification,  the  con- 
tinuation of  which  could  be  followed  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  pass,  both  in  the  horizontal  strata  and  those  which 
had  been  forced  up  at  an  angle.  Looking  back  from  the 
pass,  we  obtained  a heavenly  panorama  of  wooded  hills 
to  the  southeast,  far,  far  beyond  in  the  background,  and 
of  glorious  campos  between  them  and  us.  With  the 
winter  coming  on  — of  course  you  know  that  south  of  the 
equator  they  have  their  winter  when  we  have  our  summer 
— beautiful  yellowish,  reddish,  and  brown  tints  of  the 
foliage  added  picturesqueness  to  the  landscape. 

The  pass  itself  was  2,850  feet  above  the  sea  level. 
There  was  not  much  in  the  way  of  vegetation,  barring  a 
few  stunted  sucupira  trees.  The  air  was  exquisitely  pure, 
and  the  water  of  two  streamlets  at  2,550  feet  altitude 
delicious  and  cool.  We  were  marching  over  quantities 
of  marble  fragments  and  beautiful  crystals,  which  shone 
like  diamonds  in  the  sun.  Having  gone  over  the  pass, 
we  came  upon  a most  extraordinary  geological  surprise. 
There  seemed  to  have  been,  in  ages  long  gone  by,  a great 
subsidence  of  the  region  north  of  us.  We  were  then  on 
the  steep  edge  of  what  remained  of  the  plateau,  and  down, 
down  in  the  depth  below,  was  an  immense  valley  in  which 
Goyaz  City  lay. 

To  the  west  of  us  — as  I stood  impressed  by  that 
awe-striking  scene  — we  had  the  irregularly  cut  con- 
tinuation of  the  edge  of  the  plateau  on  which  we  stood, 
supported  as  it  were  on  a pillar-like  granitic  wall  of  im- 
mense height  and  quite  vertical,  resting  on  a gently 
sloping  base  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  vast  basin  below. 

This  great  natural  wall  of  gneiss,  which  contained 
myriads  of  crystals  and  mica  schists,  shone  like  silver  in 
the  spots  where  the  sun  struck  it,  and  with  the  lovely  pure 
cobalt  blue  of  the  distant  hills,  the  deep  green  of  the 

87 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


valley  below,  and  the  rich  brown  and  yellow  and  red  tints 
of  the  near  foreground,  made  one  of  the  most  exquisitely 
beautiful  sights  I have  ever  witnessed.  The  nearest 
approach  to  it  in  my  experience  was,  perhaps,  the  eastern 
escarpment  of  the  Abyssinian  plateau  in  Africa,  where 
a similar  panorama  on  a much  smaller  scale  could  be 
seen,  but  not  the  same  geological  formation. 

No  sooner  had  I recovered  from  the  strangeness  and 
marvellous  beauty  of  Nature’s  work  around  me,  than  I 
felt  a great  shock  at  seeing  what  men  had  done  in  that 
region.  We  were  at  this  point  on  the  high  road  between 
Sao  Paulo,  Uberaba,  and  Goyaz,  the  capital.  As  my 
animals  stumbled  down  the  steep  escarpment,  traces  could 
be  seen  of  what  must  have  been  formerly  a beautiful, 
paved  road,  well-drained  on  both  sides  with  channels, 
and  held  up  in  terraces  by  stone  works  where  the  gradient 
was  steepest.  Here  and  there  bits  still  remained,  demon- 
strating how  well  the  road  had  been  made.  But,  uncared 
for  and  abandoned,  most  of  it  had  been  washed  away  by 
the  heavy  rains,  which  had  turned  that  road  into  a foaming 
torrent  in  wet  weather.  Near  habitations,  the  well-cut 
slabs  with  which  the  road  was  paved  had  proved  con- 
venient to  the  natives  for  building  purposes.  During  the 
time  of  the  Emperor  Pedro  II.,  that  was  a magnificent 
road,  I was  told,  kept  in  excellent  repair. 

Goyaz  City  lay  before  us,  down,  down  below,  in  the 
hollow  of  the  huge  depression.  Its  single  row  of  low, 
whitewashed  houses  of  humble  architectural  pretensions, 
became  less  and  less  impressive  and  less  picturesque  as 
one  got  nearer.  I had  by  that  time  grown  quite  accus- 
tomed to  this  optical  disillusion,  for  it  was  frequently 
the  case  with  the  work  of  man  in  Brazil.  It  always 
needed  distance — the  greater  distance  the  better  — to 
lend  enchantment  to  it. 

With  a feeling  of  intense  oppression,  perhaps  due  to 
the  stifling  air  and  the  lower  elevation  (1,950  feet)  at 

88 


GOYAZ  CITY 


which  Goyaz  City  lay,  we  entered  the  capital  of  Goyaz. 
At  the  sound  of  our  mules  upon  the  pavement,  timid  men, 
timid  women,  and  children  cautiously  peeped  from  each 
window  through  the  half-closed  Venetian  blinds.  We 
had  only  to  turn  round  to  peep  at  them,  and  with  terrified 
squeals  the  hidden  creatures  banged  and  bolted  the  win- 
dows. The  sight  of  a stranger  in  Goyaz  was  apparently 
an  event.  Whether  we  were  expected  or  not,  I do  not 
know,  but  the  whole  population  seemed  to  be  hiding 
behind  the  tiny  windows  to  look  at  us.  The  few  who 
were  caught  in  the  street  seemed  as  if  they  wanted  to 
bow  but  had  not  the  courage  to  do  it.  Indeed,  their 
timidity  was  intensely  amusing.  Some,  more  courageous, 
gave  a ghastly  grin,  displaying  rows  of  irregular  teeth 
in  a terrible  condition  of  decay. 


DISTANCES  BETWEEN  ARAGUARY  AND  GOYAZ 


Araguary  to  Paranahyba 

. 400  m. 

= 9 leagues. 

Paranahyba  to  Corumbahyba  . . . 

...  59  “ 

400  “ 

9 “ 

Corumbahyba  to  Caldas 

...  59  “ 

400  “ 

9 “ 

Caldas  to  Pouso  Alto 

...  79  “ 

200  “ 

12  “ 

Pouso  Alto  to  S.  Antonio 

. . . 59  “ 

400  “ 

9 “ 

S.  Antonio  to  Campinas 

...  46  “ 

200  “ 

7 “ 

Campinas  to  Goyabeira 

. . . 56  “ 

100  “ 

8^  “ 

Goyabeira  to  Curralhino 

...  66  “ 

(( 

10  “ 

Curralhino  to  Goyaz 

200  “ 

7 “ 

Total 

300  “ 

8O2  leagues 

89 


CHAPTER  VII 


In  the  City  of  Goyaz 

THERE  was  no  such  thing  as  an  hotel  in  the  Goyaz 
capital.  The  nearest  approach  to  it  was  a filthy 
rest-house  for  muleteers,  which  was,  furthermore, 
already  full.  Against  my  usual  custom  — as  I never, 
unless  absolutely  necessary,  make  use  of  the  credentials  I 
carry  for  my  private  needs  — I had,  therefore,  to  apply 
to  the  Presidente  or  Governor  of  the  province  to  find  some 
sort  of  accommodation  in  the  town  for  my  animals,  men, 
and  myself. 

“Take  off  your  spurs  before  you  enter!”  roughly 
shouted  a sentry  at  the  Governor’s  palace,  a huge  barn- 
like structure,  just  as  I was  stooping  to  do  that  before 
being  asked. 

“ Do  not  stand  on  the  pavement,”  said  the  sentry 
again,  anxious  to  display  his  authority. 

Being  a law-abiding  person,  I shifted  to  one  side. 

“ Do  not  stop  under  the  Presidente’s  window!  ” cried 
the  policeman  angrily  once  more,  digging  me  in  the  ribs 
with  his  bayonet. 

I was  beginning  to  be  sorry  I had  not  brought  an 
aeroplane  with  me  in  order  to  complete  my  toilet  in  the 
air  before  entering  so  sacred  a precinct,  but  patience 
being  one  of  my  chief  virtues,  I transferred  myself  to  the 
remotest  point  across  the  square,  where,  stork-like,  upon 
one  foot  at  a time  I was  able  — this  time  undisturbed  — 
to  remove  both  spurs. 

“ Take  off  your  hat  before  entering,”  again  shouted 

90 


ETIQUETTE 

the  policeman,  as  I was  still  some  fifteen  yards  from  the 
door. 

I really  began  to  feel  rather  nervous,  with  all  those 
orders  grunted  at  me.  I wondered  at  the  strange  people 
who  must  visit  the  palace  to  have  to  be  instructed  to 
such  an  extent  before  entering.  I also  stopped  for  a 
moment  to  ponder  whether  I had  taken  off  all  that 
was  necessary  to  enter  a palace  where  so  much  etiquette 
was  required. 

The  moment  I entered  things  were  different.  I was 
ushered  into  an  ante-room,  where  I had  to  go  through  a 
short  cross-examination  by  some  police  officers.  Then, 
when  they  had  made  sure  of  my  identity,  they  imme- 
diately led  me  before  the  Presidente. 

The  Presidente  greeted  me  with  effusion.  He  was  a 
most  polished  and  charming  gentleman  from  Rio  de 
Janeiro,  had  travelled  extensively  in  Europe,  and  could 
speak  French  and  English.  He  roared  heartily  when  I 
told  him  of  my  experience  outside  his  palace. 

“ They  are  all  savages  here,”  he  told  me;  “ you  must 
not  mind.  The  sentry  has  orders  to  keep  everybody 
away  from  the  palace,  as  people  come  in  the  afternoon 
and  squat  under  my  windows  to  jabber,  and  I cannot 
sleep.  Those  orders,  I assure  you,  were  not  meant  for 
you.  You  will  be  my  guest  all  the  time  you  are  in  the 
city,  and  I can  accept  no  excuse.” 

The  Presidente  placed  a small  house  near  the  palace 
at  my  disposal,  and  insisted  on  my  having  all  meals  with 
his  family — a most  refined,  handsome,  exquisitely  polite 
wife  and  daughters. 

I presented  the  credentials  I possessed  from  the 
Minister  of  Agriculture  in  Rio  and  the  Brazilian  Ambas- 
sador in  London,  requesting  the  Presidente  to  do  all  in 
his  power  to  further  the  success  of  the  expedition  — I, 
of  course,  paying  all  expenses.  The  Presidente,  like  most 
other  Brazilians  of  a certain  age,  was  blase  beyond  words. 

91 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


Nothing  interested  him  except  his  family,  and  life  was 
not  worth  living.  He  believed  in  nothing.  He  was  an 
atheist  because  he  had  not  been  as  successful  as  he  wished 
in  the  world,  and  attributed  the  fault  to  God.  He  cared 
little  about  the  future  of  his  country.  If  his  country  and 
all  his  countrymen  went  to  a warmer  place  than  heaven, 
he  would  be  glad  to  see  them  go  that  way!  As  for  going 
exploring,  mapping  unknown  regions,  studying  the  coun- 
try and  the  people,  building  roads,  railways,  and  tele- 
graphs, it  little  mattered  to  him,  but  it  seemed  all 
nonsense. 

“ Instead  of  coming  to  these  wild,  deadly  regions,  why 
do  you  not  go  and  spend  your  money  enjoying  yourself 
in  Paris  or  Vienna?”  was  his  advice  to  me. 

“ Perhaps  I need  a change  occasionally,  and  I enjoy 
things  all  the  more  by  contrast  when  I return  to 
Europe.” 

The  Presidente  was  evidently  not  in  good  health  and 
spirits.  He  was  a Senator  of  the  Republic,  and  a man 
formerly  of  great  ambitions,  which  were  more  or  less 
shattered  when  he  was  elected  Governor  of  Goyaz 
Province,  with  its  population  of  corpses,  and  at  a salary 
of  £40  a month  — very  little  more  than  I paid  my  head 
muleteer  — so  that  little  could  be  expected  from  the 
Governor  of  such  a province. 

It  was  thus  that  the  State  of  Goyaz,  one  of  the 
naturally  richest  in  Brazil,  containing  pasture  lands 
unique  for  their  beauty,  forests  with  valuable  woods, 
plenty  of  water  and  great  navigable  rivers  draining  it 
both  north  and  south,  of  which  it  was  sufficient  to  mention 
the  magnificent  Araguaya  River,  the  Rio  Tocantins  and 
the  Paranahyba  (or  Parana),  was  instead  one  of  the 
poorest.  In  the  very  heart  of  Brazil,  Goyaz  was  geo- 
graphically and  politically  the  centre  of  the  Republic. 
With  an  area  of  747,311  square  kilometres  (288,532 
square  miles),  the  province  had  an  estimated  population 

92 


THE  PRESIDENT  OF  GOYAZ  AND  HIS  FAMILY 
Giant  cactus  in  background. 


THE  MAIN  SQUARE  OF  GOYAZ  CITY. 
Showing  prison  and  public  library. 


SOME  OF  THE  BAGGAGE  AND  SCIENTIFIC  INSTRUMENTS 
USED  BY  AUTHOR  ON  HIS  EXPEDITION. 


GOLD  MINES 


of  some  280,000  souls,  or  less  than  one  to  every  square 
mile. 

The  region  forming  the  present  State  of  Goyaz  was 
first  explored  in  1647  by  Manoel  Correa,  a native  of  Sao 
Paulo,  and  in  1682  by  another  Paulista,  Bartholomeu 
Beuno  de  Silva,  who  both  were  prospecting  for  gold. 
The  latter  was  successful  in  locating  gold  mines  and  in 
making  friends  with  the  local  Indians  of  the  Goyaz  tribe, 
from  whom  the  province  then  took  its  name.  Some 
forty-three  years  later,  de  Silva  returned  to  Sao  Paulo 
with  918  ounces  of  gold.  The  news  of  these  goldfields 
quickly  attracted  a great  number  of  adventurers  to  Goyaz. 
The  country  then  saw  its  most  prosperous  days,  especially 
in  and  near  Villa  Boa,  the  present  city  of  Goyaz,  where 
gold  was  said  to  have  been  plentiful  in  those  days. 

The  enterprising  Bartholomeu  Bueno  de  Silva  re- 
turned to  Goyaz  in  1731  as  a Capitao  Mor,  or  Grand 
Captain,  with  the  right  to  dispose  of  land.  In  1822 
Goyaz  was  recognized  as  a province  of  the  Empire,  and 
subsequently  in  1869  it  became  one  of  the  States  of  the 
Union,  with  autonomy  as  regards  local  affairs  under  its 
own  Constitution,  approved  by  the  Federal  Constituent 
Assembly  in  1891. 

Cattle,  horse,  and  mule  breeding  on  a small  scale  was 
the  chief  source  of  income  of  that  magnificent  State  — 
an  income  which  in  less  indolent  hands  might  be  increased 
ten-thousand-fold  or  more.  Its  horses  and  mules  found 
a ready  market  in  the  adjacent  State  of  Matto  Grosso 
and  from  there  went  into  Bolivia,  while  the  States  of 
Minas  Geraes  and  Sao  Paulo  were  the  chief  buyers  of 
pigs,  toucinho  (dried  pork  fat),  dried  beef,  hides  raw  and 
cured,  cheese,  lard,  etc. 

Goyaz  prided  itself  greatly  on  its  horses,  which 
enjoyed  a certain  fame  all  over  Brazil.  Perhaps  they 
were  in  a way  as  good  as  any  produced  in  the  Republic. 
With  a little  study  and  care  in  the  breeding,  they  might 

93 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


be  greatly  improved  and  rendered  as  sturdy  and  good- 
looking  as  some  horses  of  Asia  and  Northern  Africa. 
So  far  they  were  far  inferior  in  appearance  and  endur- 
ance to  the  horses  of  Arabia,  Turkestan,  Europe,  and 
Abyssinia. 

The  most  interesting  type  of  the  Goyaz  horse  was  what 
is  called  the  curraleiro  or  “ stable  horse,”  bred  in  the  north 
of  the  State,  especially  in  the  valley  of  Paranan,  border- 
ing upon  Minas  and  Bahia.  The  curraleiro  was  also 
known  as  cavallo  sertanejo  or  “ horse  of  the  jungle  ” — 
two  most  inappropriate  names,  for  it  was,  accurately 
speaking,  neither  the  one  nor  the  other. 

The  Goyaz  horse  was  a typical  Brazilian  horse.  It 
shared  many  of  the  characteristics  of  the  people  of 
the  province.  Timidity,  laziness,  lack  of  affection  and 
judgment,  sulkiness  and  great  stubbornness  under 
training  of  any  kind  were  its  qualities.  This  was  due 
chiefly,  I think,  to  its  inferior  intelligence  when  compared 
with  thoroughbred  horses  of  other  nations.  The  Goyaz 
horse  was  small,  fairly  agile,  and  when  well  cared  for, 
had  a handsome,  shiny  coat  with  luxuriant  mane  and  tail. 
It  was  capable  of  short,  noteworthy  efforts,  but  did  not 
possess  abnormal  endurance. 

The  present  curraleiro  is  a mere  degeneration  of  what 
must  have  formerly  been  an  excellent  horse.  Considering 
the  absolute  lack  of  care  taken  in  its  breeding,  it  was 
certainly  remarkable  that  it  has  proved  to  be  as  good 
a horse  as  it  actually  is.  Judiciously  crossed  with  Hun- 
garian, Turkestan,  Arab,  or  Abyssinian  horses,  I think 
that  quite  excellent  results  might  be  obtained.  It  must 
be  taken  into  consideration  that  great  hardships  and  work 
of  the  roughest  character  were  demanded  of  animals  in 
Central  Brazil. 

A praiseworthy  movement  was  started  some  years  ago 
by  Marechal  Hermes  da  Fonseca,  now  President  of  the 
Republic,  to  mount  the  entire  Brazilian  Cavalry  on  na- 

94 


CATTLE  BREEDING 


tional  horses.  That  will  perhaps  lead  some  day  to  a great 
improvement  in  the  breeding  of  animals  all  over  the 
country,  and  especially  in  Goyaz,  which  provides  the  most 
suitable  land  for  that  purpose.  The  same  remarks  could, 
perhaps,  in  a slightly  lesser  degree,  be  applied  to  the 
breeding  of  donkeys  and  mules.  No  care  whatever  was 
exercised  by  the  breeders  in  order  to  improve  the  breeds. 
Everything  was  left  to  luck  and  chance.  The  result  was 
that  a degenerate  type  of  animal  was  produced  — 
wonderful  indeed,  considering  the  way  it  was  bred,  but 
which  might  be  improved  to  an  immense  extent  and  made 
into  a remarkable  animal,  in  such  a propitious  climate 
and  with  such  marvellous  pasture  lands. 

With  cattle,  also,  it  is  safe  to  assert  that  since  the 
colonial  time  very  little  fresh  foreign  blood  of  any  im- 
portance has  been  introduced  in  breeding  — except, 
perhaps,  some  inferior  types  of  the  Indian  humped  zebu. 
Most  of  the  stock  I saw  in  Southern  Goyaz  was  inter- 
mixed with  zebu.  The  formerly  existing  bovine  races, 
such  as  the  Mocha,  Coracu,  and  Crioula,  have  now  almost 
altogether  disappeared. 

Unlike  most  other  States  of  Brazil,  Goyaz  had  no 
Provincial  Customs  duties.  With  its  immense  frontier, 
bordering  upon  seven  different  other  States,  it  would  be 
impossible  to  enforce  the  collection  of  payments.  No 
reliable  statistics  were  obtainable  as  to  the  amount  of 
exports  or  imports  of  the  State.  Even  approximately  it 
would  be  impossible  to  make  a guess  as  to  the  actual 
amount  of  its  resources. 

Sugar-cane  and  tobacco  could  be  profitably  grown  in 
the  State.  The  small  quantity  of  tobacco  grown  there 
was  of  excellent  quality. 

The  Government  of  Goyaz  Province  consisted  of  three 
Powers:  the  Executive,  represented  by  the  President, 
elected  for  three  years  by  universal  suffrage;  the  Legis- 
lature — a Chamber  of  Deputies  equally  elected  for 

95 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


three  years  by  suffrage;  and  a Judicial  power  constituted 
by  the  High  Court  of  Justice,  Juges  de  droit  — law 
judges  — and  District  Judges.  To  be  elected  President 
of  Goyaz  State  all  that  was  necessary  was  to  be  a Brazilian 
citizen,  over  thirty  years  of  age,  and  able  to  read  and 
write.  The  same  applied  to  the  election  of  Deputies,  for 
whom  a residence  of  only  two  years  in  the  State  was 
sufficient. 

The  capital  of  Goyaz,  which  is  situated  on  the  Rio 
V ermelho,  a tributary  of  the  great  Araguaya  River  — 
had,  according  to  the  census  of  1900,  a population  of 
some  13,475  people,  but  I rather  doubt  whether  it 
possessed  as  many  as  eight  or  ten  thousand  souls 
when  I visited  it.  One  could  notice  indications  that  in 
days  gone  by  Goyaz  had  been  a flourishing  place.  There 
were  a number  of  fine  churches,  and  a large  cathedral  in 
course  of  construction,  but  since  abandoned.  Some  of 
the  buildings,  too — the  finest  was  the  prison — must 
have  been  quite  handsome,  but  were  now  in  a dilapidated 
condition.  It  was  really  heart-breaking  to  see  such  a 
magnificent  country  go  to  rack  and  ruin : a State  naturally 
the  richest,  perhaps,  in  Brazil,  yet  rendered  the  poorest, 
deeply  steeped  in  debt,  and  with  the  heavy  weight  of 
absurdly  contracted  loans  from  which  it  had  no  hope 
whatever  of  recovering  under  present  conditions.  They 
had  in  the  province  the  most  beautiful  land  in  Brazil,  but 
it  was  a land  of  the  dead.  People,  industries,  trade, 
commerce,  everything  was  dead.  Formerly,  in  the  time 
of  the  Emperor  and  of  that  great  patriot  General  Couto 
de  Magalhaes,  Goyaz  City  could  be  reached,  within  a 
few  kilometres,  by  steam  on  the  beautiful  river,  the 
Araguaya,  which  formed  the  western  boundary  of  the 
province,  an  ideal  waterway  navigable  for  1,200  kilo- 
metres — in  Goyaz  Province  alone.  In  the  time  of  the 
Emperor,  when  Brazil  was  a wild  country,  steam  navi- 
gation actually  existed  up  the  Araguaya  River  from 

96 


THE  TOCANTINS  RIVER 


Concep9ao  as  far  as  Leopoldina  (the  port  for  Goyaz  City) . 
The  river  was  free  from  obstacles  of  any  kind,  even  in  the 
dry  season.  There  were  then  three  beautiful  English- 
built  launches  on  that  service.  A fine  repairing  shop  had 
been  erected  at  Leopoldina. 

But  in  these  days  of  civilization,  order,  and  progress, 
the  steamers  have  been  purposely  run  aground  and  left 
to  rot.  There  was  actually  a tree  growing  through  the 
hull  of  one  of  those  launches  when  I last  heard  of  them; 
the  machine  shop  was  robbed  of  all  its  tools,  and  the 
machinery  destroyed  and  abandoned.  The  Presidente 
told  me  that  the  Provincial  Government  had  eventually 
bought  the  wrecks  of  the  launches  and  the  machine  shops 
for  £20;  and  as  it  cost  too  much  to  leave  a man  in  charge, 
everything  had  since  been  abandoned. 

When  I visited  Goyaz,  there  was  no  sign  and  no  hope 
of  re-establishing  steam  navigation  on  that  marvellous 
waterway. 

The  Tocantins  River,  which  intersected  the  province 
from  Goyaz  to  its  most  northern  point,  was  also  another 
serviceable  stream;  but  no  one  used  it,  except,  perhaps, 
some  rare  private  canoe  taking  up  goods  to  settlements 
on  its  banks. 

The  navigation  of  the  Tocantins,  when  I was  in 
Goyaz,  extended  merely  to  the  Port  of  Alcoba9a,  350 
kilometres  from  Para,  from  which  point  rapids  existed 
which  made  steam  navigation  impossible  as  far  as  Praia 
da  Rainha.  The  distance  of  180  kilometres  between  those 
two  places  was  eventually  to  be  traversed  by  a railway,  a 
concession  for  which  had  been  granted  to  the  Estrada  de 
Ferro  Norte  do  Brazil.  In  the  High  Tocantins  I believe 
two  steam  launches  were  temporarily  running  as  far  as 
Porto  Nacional  or  perhaps  a little  higher. 

Undoubtedly  the  State  of  Goyaz  will  some  day, 
notwithstanding  its  apathetic  inhabitants,  see  great 

changes  for  the  better.  The  new  epoch  will  begin  when 
vol.  i. — 7 97 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


the  several  railways  which  were  in  course  of  construction 
from  various  directions,  enter  the  province.  Not  one  of 
them  had  penetrated  the  province  at  the  time  of  my  visit, 
although  the  work  of  preparing  the  road  had  just  been 
begun  on  Goyaz  territory,  as  we  have  seen,  for  a few  kilo- 
metres north  of  the  Paranahyba  River,  on  the  extension  of 
the  Mogyana  line  from  Sao  Paulo.  A second  railway  line 
in  course  of  construction  was  a branch  of  the  Western 
Minas  Railway;  and  there  was  a third  up  the  Araguaya 
from  Para.  Those  railways  will  certainly  revolutionize 
the  country.  The  inhabitants  of  Goyaz,  ultra-conserva- 
tive in  their  ideas,  were  not  at  all  anxious  to  see  a railway 
reach  their  capital.  In  their  curious  way  of  reasoning, 
they  seemed  to  think  that  the  railway  would  make  life 
dearer  in  the  city,  that  strangers  would  be  coming  in  great 
numbers  to  reap  the  benefit  of  their  country,  and  that 
the  younger  people  who  were  satisfied  to  live  there  — 
because  they  could  not  get  away  — would  all  fly  to  the 
coast  as  soon  as  the  railway  was  established,  to  enjoy  the 
luxuries  of  Rio  and  Sao  Paulo,  of  which  they  had  heard, 
but  could  so  far  only  dream  of.  They  did  not  stop  to 
think  that  the  railways  will  certainly  make  Goyaz  the 
richest  country  in  the  world. 

The  financial  condition  of  that  beautiful  State  can 
perhaps  best  be  shown  by  quoting  the  words  of  the 
Presidente  himself,  in  his  message  to  the  Legislative 
Congress  of  Goyaz  on  May  13,  1910,  on  assuming  the 
Presidency  of  the  Province. 

“ On  my  assuming  the  Government  of  the  Province, 
I ordered  the  Secretary  of  Finance  to  give  an  account 
of  the  balance  existing  in  the  State  Treasury;  and  it 
was  verified  that  up  to  April  30th  last  there  existed  a 
sum  of  Rs.  87,000,000  (<£5,800  sterling),  which  became 
reduced  to  Rs.  50,000,000  (£3,334  sterling)  after  the 
payments  made  on  the  1st,  3rd,  and  4th  of  the  present 
month  (May,  1910).  It  must  be  understood  that  the 

98 


FINANCIAL  CONDITION 


above-mentioned  sum  does  not  represent  a balance  exist- 
ing in  the  Treasury,  because  it  includes  deposits  and 
guarantees,  as  well  as  the  deposits  of  the  Orphan  Asylum 
and  of  the  Monte  Pio. 

“Leaving  out  the  sums  left  in  the  Treasury  on 
deposit,  and  which  represent  in  fact  a debt  of  the  State, 
we  come  to  the  conclusion  that  there  is  no  money  what- 
ever in  the  Treasury,  and  that  the  State  f ainda  fica  a 
dever ’ (is  instead  deep  in  debt).  The  expenses  were 
vastly  higher  than  the  income  of  the  Province  and  whereas 
the  expenses  of  administration  increased  daily,  the  receipts 
remained  stationary.” 

There  was  a certain  humour  in  the  Presidente’s 
remarks  on  crime,  when  he  referred  to  the  difficulties 
experienced  by  the  Chief  of  Police,  who  received  no 
remuneration. 

“ It  is  easy,”  he  said,  “ to  understand  the  drawbacks 
resulting  for  the  maintenance  of  order  and  the  repression 
of  crime,  which  is  daily  becoming  more  common  — owing, 
no  doubt,  to  the  facility  of  entrance,  through  our  un- 
guarded boundaries,  of  persecuted  people  or  fugitives 
from  our  neighbouring  States,  and  of  the  impunity  of 
criminals  due  to  the  benevolence  of  our  juries.  The 
diminution  of  our  police  force  in  so  large  a State  with 
such  difficult  communications  has  had  the  result  that  the 
police  force,  moved  incessantly  from  one  end  of  the  State 
to  the  other,  never  arrives  in  time  to  prevent  crime! 

“Many  criminals  have  been  prosecuted  and  are  now 
safely  guarded  in  prisons,  but  unhappily  the  greater 
number  of  criminals  are  loose  all  over  the  State  without 
fear  of  being  prosecuted,  and  terrorizing  the  population. 
Bands  of  gipsies  were  followed  by  officers  and  soldiers, 
and  their  attacks  on  property  and  individuals  were  pre- 
vented. ...  In  the  town  of  Catalan  the  two  armed 
parties  were  successfully  prevented  from  violence  and 
‘ viessem  as  maos’  (coming  to  blows).  At  Morrinhos 

99 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


armed  citizens  in  a menacing  attitude  were  dispersed  by 
the  police  ...  in  other  localities  other  riots  or  attempts 
(sic)  at  disorder  were  immediately  repressed,  and  we  can 
now  say  that  the  State  enjoys  perfect  peace,  save  the 
municipality  of  Douro,  which  is  threatened  by  bandits 
from  Bahia.  They  are  constantly  springing  upon  the 
terrified  population  of  the  municipality  and  especially  of 
the  town. 

“ . . . The  bandits  continue  their  incursions;  mur- 
ders follow  one  another  in  the  entire  zone  between 
Formosa  and  Barreiros,  including  Santa  Rita  and 
Campo  Largo,  the  inhabitants  of  which  zone  are  para- 
lyzed with  terror.  . . . Our  commerce  with  Bahia,  as 
well  as  relations  between  private  individuals,  is  thus 
interrupted.” 

In  liis  message  the  Presidente  wisely  and  frankly 
disclosed  the  difficulty  of  administering  justice  under 
existing  laws,  when  juries  would  absolve  proved  and  con- 
fessed murderers  wholesale.  He  endeavoured  to  stimulate 
some  sense  of  honour  in  the  officials  in  charge  of  the 
various  municipalities,  where  " as  rendas  em  geral  mal 
applicadas ” (the  revenue  generally  misapplied)  found 
its  way  into  the  channels  through  which  it  was  not 
intended  to  pass. 

A fervent  appeal  the  Presidente  made  to  prevent  the 
spread  of  smallpox.  The  vaccine  which  the  Government 
sent  to  various  points  of  the  State  was  not  used. 

Curious,  indeed,  but  perfectly  true,  were  his  statements 
regarding  the  police  force. 

“ The  officers  are  zealous  and  understand  their  duty. 
The  policemen,  notwithstanding  all  their  defects,  are 
being  instructed  and  disciplined.  The  policemen  are  in 
general  ‘criminals’  (monger  ados) . Ha  falta  de  arma- 
mento,  e o existente  nao  e o melhor.  (There  is  lack  of 
armament  and  the  existing  one  is  not  the  best.)  The  pay 
is  small  . . . and  the  body  needs  reorganization.” 

100 


UNSATISFACTORY  LAWS 


The  Academy  of  Law  ( Academia  de  direito)  was  not 
satisfactory  and  did  not  answer  the  purpose  for  which  it 
was  established. 

The  Lyceum,  with  its  105  pupils,  gave  fair  results, 
barring  the  tolerance  in  examinations,  which,  however, 
did  not  reach  a criminal  point  (sic).  It  possessed  no 
building  of  its  own,  and  was  badly  housed  in  a private 
dwelling. 

Public  instruction  was  admittedly  defective  all  over 
the  province.  The  teachers  were  almost  as  ignorant  and 
illiterate  as  the  people  who  went  to  learn,  and  perhaps 
more  so;  while  the  Escola  Normal  (Normal  School)  for 
women  was  almost  altogether  unattended.  The  public 
works  were  uncared  for;  there  was  not  a single  new 
work  of  art  begun  in  the  State.  Nor  could  the  State 
boast  of  a single  road  or  trail  or  bridge  in  fair  condition. 

The  laws  on  the  possession  of  land  would  one  day  lead 
to  immense  difficulties  and  confusion.  The  greater  part 
of  the  land  now  occupied  was  in  the  hands  of  people  who 
had  no  legal  right  whatever  to  it. 

The  existing  laws  on  mining  were  equally  unsatis- 
factory, and  the  Presidente  rightly  remarked  that 
“ without  facilities  and  guarantees,  capitalists  will  never 
venture  upon  so  risky  and  problematic  an  enterprise  as 
mining  in  a State  so  distant  and  so  difficult  of  access.” 
He  also  exhorted  the  people  to  re-establish  steam  naviga- 
tion on  the  Araguaya  River,  such  as  existed  in  the  days 
of  the  Empire. 

I was  told  that  a launch  had  actually  been  purchased 
in  the  United  States,  but  was  either  waiting  at  Para  for 
want  of  an  engineer  or  else  had  again  been  sold,  owing 
to  the  impossibility  — due  to  lack  of  money  — of  its  being 
transported  in  sections  over  the  rapids  above  Concep^ao. 

The  question  of  boundaries  with  neighbouring  States 
was  an  amusing  one.  According  to  some  rule  for  which 
no  one  can  account,  the  Government  of  Goyaz  claimed 

101 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


from  the  State  of  Matto  Grosso  enormous  stretches  of 
land  on  the  opposite  side  of  its  natural,  indisputable  geo- 
graphical western  boundary,  the  main  stream,  Araguaya, 
as  well  as  the  isolated  settlement  of  Concep^ao,  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  Araguaya  River,  which  was  un- 
doubtedly in  the  State  of  Para.  One  had  only  to  glance 
at  a map  — bad  as  maps  were  — to  see  that  in  both  cases 
the  claim  was  an  absurd  one.  In  the  case  of  Concep^ao 
it  was  perfectly  ridiculous.  The  Para  Government  held 
the  place  with  a military  force  and  occupied  the  territory 
with  complete  jurisdiction.  In  a more  peaceful  manner 
the  State  of  Matto  Grosso  was  in  possession  of  the  entire 
territory  west  of  the  Rio  Grande  do  Araguaya,  which  the 
people  of  Goyaz  said  belonged  to  them.  On  the  west  the 
Araguaya  formed  a perfect  geographical  boundary  from 
the  Southern  Goyaz  boundary,  where  the  Araguaya  had 
its  birth,  as  far  as  the  most  northern  point  of  the  State; 
whereas,  were  one  to  accept  the  supposed  Goyaz  boundary 
formed  by  the  Rio  das  Mortes,  a tributary  of  lesser  vol- 
ume than  the  main  stream,  it  would  involve  an  imaginary, 
compound,  boundary  line  up  the  Paredao  stream,  then  up 
the  Rio  Barreiros,  then  an  imaginary  straight  line  from 
north  to  south  across  mountainous  country,  winding  its 
way  east  until  it  met  the  Serra  dos  Bahus,  then  again 
northeast  over  undetermined  country,  then  along  the 
Rio  Apore  and  eventually  joining  the  Paranahyba 
River. 

Curiously  enough,  nearly  all  the  Brazilian  Govern- 
ment maps,  and  all  the  foreign  ones  copied,  of  course, 
from  the  Brazilian  — all  remarkable  for  their  inaccura- 
cies— gave  the  wrong  boundary  as  the  correct  one!  In 
any  case,  both  the  States  of  Matto  Grosso  and  Para  were 
in  actual  occupation  of  the  respective  disputed  territories, 
and  Goyaz  was  much  too  poor  to  afford  fighting  for  them, 
so  that  I fear  her  most  unreasonable  claims  will  ever 
remain  unsatisfied. 


102 


THE  FINAL  BLOW 


The  final  blow  to  the  financial  status  of  the  province 
was  the  loan  raised  on  the  Banco  do  Brazil  of  Rs. 
300,000,000  (£20,000  sterling)  at  an  interest  of  seven  per 
cent  per  annum.  The  Presidente  counted  on  the  receipts 
from  the  exports  as  well  as  on  economy  in  administration 
in  order  to  pay  the  interest  on  this  sum  — a dream  which 
soon  became  impossible  to  realize. 

It  was  then  attempted  to  float  an  internal  loan  of 
Rs.  200,000,000  (about  £13,334  sterling)  at  an  interest 
of  six  per  cent;  but,  as  the  Presidente  pathetically  ended 
his  message  to  the  State  Congress,  “ not  a single  person 
presented  himself  to  subscribe  to  the  loan.” 

The  receipts  from  the  export  of  cattle  from  Goyaz 
State  amounted  in  1910  to  only  Rs.  171,901,000  (or 
£11,460  Is.  4d.  sterling).  After  all  expenses  were  de- 
ducted, the  State  of  Goyaz  then  showed  a deficit  of 
Rs.  325,510,743  (£21,700*  14s.  4 d.  sterling). 


103 


CHAPTER  VIII 


Fourteen  Long  and  Weary  Days  — Disappointment  — Criminals 

as  Followers 

I HAD  entertained  hopes  of  finding  suitable  followers 
in  the  city  of  Goyaz  to  accompany  my  expedition. 
The  officials  in  Rio  de  Janeiro  had  given  me  glowing 
accounts  of  the  bravery  of  the  people  of  Goyaz.  Accord- 
ing to  them,  those  settlers  of  the  interior  were  all 
daredevils,  courageous  beyond  words,  and  I should  have 
no  difficulty  whatever  in  finding  plenty  of  men  who,  for 
a consideration,  would  join  the  expedition. 

“ They  will  one  and  all  come  with  you,”  a well-known 
Colonel  had  exclaimed  enthusiastically  to  me  in  Rio  — 
“ and  they  will  fight  like  tigers.” 

I carried  the  strongest  possible,  although  somewhat 
curiously  worded,  credentials  from  the  Federal  Govern- 
ment to  the  Presidente  and  other  officials  of  Goyaz,  the 
letters,  which  had  been  handed  to  me  open,  stating  that 
the  Presidente  was  earnestly  requested  to  do  all  in  his 
power  to  help  to  make  the  expedition  a success.  When 
I presented  these  documents,  I explained  clearly  to  the 
Presidente  that  all  I wished  was  that  he  should  help  me 
to  collect  thirty  plucky  men,  whom  I would  naturally 
pay,  and  pay  well,  out  of  my  own  pocket,  feed,  and 
clothe,  during  the  entire  time  the  expedition  lasted, 
as  well  as  pay  all  their  expenses  back  and  wages 
up  to  the  day  of  reaching  their  original  point  of 
departure. 

“ I cannot  help  you;  you  will  get  nobody.  Besides, 
I have  received  an  official  but  confidential  message  from 

104 


AUTHOR  S SIX  MEN. 


VIEW  OF  GOYAZ  CITY  FROM  STATION  BARBARA. 


AUTHOR’S  MEN  PACKING  ANIMALS. 


INCONCEIVABLE  TREACHERY 


Rio,  requesting  me  to  do  all  I can  to  prevent  your 
going  on.” 

Such  treachery  seemed  inconceivable  to  me,  and  I 
took  no  notice  of  it.  I again  requested  the  Presidente 
to  endeavour  to  find  me  men  and  animals,  as  nothing 
would  deter  me  from  going  on.  If  no  Brazilians  came, 
I said  that  I would  go  alone,  but  that  the  value  of  the 
expedition  would  naturally  suffer,  as  I should  thus  have 
to  leave  behind  all  the  instruments,  cameras,  and  other 
impedimenta,  which,  single-handed,  I could  not  possibly 
carry. 

It  was  my  intention  to  travel  northwest  from  Goyaz 
City  as  far  as  the  river  Araguaya.  There  I wanted  to 
descend  the  Araguaya  as  far  as  the  Tapirapez  River  — 
a small  tributary  on  the  west  side  of  the  Araguaya,  shown 
on  some  of  the  very  incorrect  existing  maps  approximately 
in  latitude  11°  south,  and  on  others  in  latitude  9°  and 
some  minutes  south.  Proceeding  westward  from  that 
point  again,  I proposed  crossing  over  to  the  Xingu  River, 
then  to  the  Tapajoz,  and  farther  to  the  Madeira  River. 
It  was  necessary  for  me  to  hire  or  purchase  a canoe  in 
order  to  descend  the  Araguaya  River  as  far  as  the 
Tapirapez. 

Believing  that  perhaps  I might  be  able  to  find  men 
without  the  assistance  of  the  Governor,  I tried  every 
possible  channel  in  Goyaz.  I sent  men  all  round  the 
town,  offering  high  pay.  I applied  to  the  commanding 
officer  of  the  Federal  troops.  I applied  to  the  Dominican 
monks,  who  have  more  power  in  Goyaz  State  than  all  the 
officials  taken  together. 

The  Father  Superior  of  the  Dominicans  shook  his 
head  at  once  and  told  me  that,  much  as  he  wished  to  oblige 
me,  I was  asking  for  something  impossible.  He  was  right. 
The  people  were  so  scared  of  the  Indians,  and  of  the 
horrors  of  camping  in  the  jungle,  that  no  money  in  the 
world  would  ever  induce  them  to  move  out  of  their  town. 

105 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


“ Are  there  no  young  fellows  in  the  town  who  will 
come  along  for  the  love  of  adventure,  as  well  as  the  money 
they  will  get?  ” I asked. 

“For  love!  . . . love!”  said  the  friar,  bursting  with 
laughter.  “ I do  not  believe  that  such  a tiling  exists  in 
Brazil.” 

Having  removed  “ love  or  money  ” from  the  pro- 
gramme of  temptation,  there  remained  little  else  except 
patience.  In  the  meantime  I endeavoured  to  hire  a canoe. 
The  Presidente  kindly  undertook  to  do  this  for  me  with 
the  help  of  a well-known  Colonel,  one  of  the  most  revered 
men  in  the  city. 

“ There  is  only  one  boat  on  the  Araguaya,”  said  the 
Presidente  to  me.  “ You  cannot  build  a raft,  as  all  the 
woods  in  these  regions  are  too  heavy,  and  not  one  will 
float.  You  must  hire  that  boat  or  nothing.” 

The  honoured  Colonel  his  friend  also  impressed  that 
point  well  upon  me.  “ Only  that  boat  or  nothing.”  They 
also  added  that  they  had  arranged  for  me  to  hire  that 
boat  for  four  days,  and  it  would  cost  me  only  £500 
sterling.  My  distinguished  friends  had  taken  ten  days 
to  arrange  that  bargain.  It  took  me  ten  seconds  to  dis- 
arrange it  all.  All  the  more  as  I had  heard  that  a German 
traveller,  Dr.  Krause,  had  the  previous  year  gone  down 
the  Araguaya  River,  where  he  had  done  excellent  research 
work,  and  had  also  travelled  up  the  tributary  Tapirapez, 
crossing  over  nearly  as  far  as  the  Xingu  River.  He 
had  found  in  that  region  no  Indians  and  the  country  of 
little  interest.  Furthermore,  on  my  arrival  in  Goyaz, 
I learnt  that  a Brazilian  Government  expedition,  under 
the  leadership  of  Dr.  Pimentel,  had  already  been  in  Goyaz 
some  six  months,  trying  to  start  on  a journey  down  the 
Araguaya,  and,  if  possible,  also  to  go  up  the  Tapirapez 
and  other  tributaries  of  that  great  stream.  Moreover,  the 
Araguaya  was  perhaps,  after  the  Madeira,  one  of  the 
best  known  southern  tributaries  of  the  Amazon.  As 

106 


STEAM  NAVIGATION 


we  have  already  seen,  during  the  time  of  Dom  Pedro,  the 
Emperor,  there  was  even  steam  navigation  almost  all 
along  the  course  of  the  upper  Araguaya  as  far  as 
Leopoldina,  the  port  for  the  Goyaz  capital.  Several 
Englishmen  and  Germans  and  very  many  Brazilians  had 
travelled  on  that  river,  where  even  military  posts  had  at 
one  time  been  established  at  intervals  on  its  banks. 

So  that,  rather  than  be  imposed  upon  and  travel  for 
hundreds  of  kilometres  in  so  well-known  a region,  I de- 
cided slightly  to  alter  my  route  in  order  to  cover  ground 
that  was  newer  and  infinitely  more  interesting  and 
important. 

The  Presidente’s  friend,  the  highly  revered  Colonel, 
had  also  undertaken  to  purchase  a number  of  horses  and 
mules  for  me.  “ The  people  of  Goyaz,”  said  he,  “ are 
terrible  thieves;  they  will  swindle  you  if  you  buy  them 
yourself.  I will  purchase  them  for  you,  and  you  will 
then  pay  me  back  the  money.  By  to-morrow  morning,” 
he  had  stated,  “ I shall  have  all  the  horses  and  mules  you 
require.” 

This  was  on  the  day  of  my  arrival  in  Goyaz.  Twelve 
days  after  that  date  he  appeared  with  a famished, 
skeleton-like  horse  — only  one — for  which  he  made  me 
pay  nearly  double  what  I had  myself  paid  for  other 
excellent  animals. 

I took  care  after  that  experience  to  beware  of  the 
“ revered  and  honest  men  of  Goyaz.”  Those  who  behaved 
honestly  were  generally  those  who  were  described  as 
thieves.  Everything  is  reversed  in  Brazil,  and  I should 
have  known  better. 

Let  us  have  a look  around  the  city  as  I saw  it.  Mules 
and  horses  were  grazing  in  the  principal  square  on  a severe 
slope;  the  streets  were  paved  in  a fashion  calculated  to 
dislocate  your  feet  or  possibly  break  them  if  you  hap- 
pened to  be  walking  out  after  dark.  There  was  not  the 
slightest  semblance  of  drainage  in  any  part  of  the  town. 

107 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


The  people  flung  out  into  the  streets  all  that  could  be 
flung  out,  and  also  a good  deal  that  should  not  be  flung. 
The  dirt  was  excessive  all  over  the  place,  when  the  rain 
did  not  come  to  the  rescue  and  wash  it  all  off. 

The  boast  of  the  town  was  its  brilliant  illumination: 
one  hundred  petroleum  lights  all  told,  lighted  up  until 
ten  p.m.  when  there  was  no  moon.  When  there  was,  or 
should  have  been  a moon,  as  on  stormy  nights,  the  munici- 
pality economized  on  the  paraffin,  and  the  lamps  were  not 
lighted.  I do  not  know  anything  more  torturing  than 
returning  home  every  night  after  my  dinner  at  the  palace, 
walking  on  the  slippery,  worn  stone  slabs  of  the  pavements, 
at  all  angles  — some  were  even  vertical  — in  the  middle 
of  the  road.  You  stumbled,  slipped,  and  twisted  your 
feet,  jamming  them  in  the  wide  interstices  between  the 
slabs.  I never  could  understand  why  the  municipality 
troubled  to  have  lights  at  all.  They  gave  no  light  when 
they  were  lighted,  at  least  not  enough  to  see  by,  and  they 
were  absolutely  of  no  use  to  the  natives  themselves.  By 
eight  o’clock  p.m.  all  the  people  were  barricaded  within 
their  homes  and  asleep. 

Y et  — can  you  believe  it  ? — in  this  mediaeval  city  you 
would  be  talked  about  considerably  and  would  give  much 
offence  if  you  went  out  of  your  house  in  clothes  such 
as  you  would  wear  in  England  in  the  country.  On  Sun- 
days and  during  all  Easter  week,  when  I was  there,  all 
the  men  went  out  in  their  frock-coats,  top  hats  of  gro- 
tesquely antiquated  shapes,  extra  high  starched  collars, 
and,  above  all,  patent  leather  shoes  — with  the  sun 
scorching  overhead.  The  women  were  amusing  enough  in 
their  finery,  which  perhaps  had  been  the  fashion  elsewhere 
fifty  or  sixty  or  more  years  ago.  But  they  believed 
they  were  as  well-dressed  and  quite  as  up-to-date  as  the 
smartest  women  of  Paris  or  London.  They  never  let 
an  opportunity  pass  of  telling  you  so. 

The  most  striking  building  in  the  principal  square  of 

108 


SANITARY  ARRANGEMENTS 


Goyaz  was  the  prison.  I visited  it  in  the  company  of  the 
Chief  of  Police.  The  place  had  been  specially  cleaned 
on  the  occasion  of  my  visit,  and  that  particular  day  it 
looked  quite  neat.  I was  shown  very  good  food  which  — 
at  least  that  day  — had  been  prepared  for  the  prisoners. 
Nearly  all  the  prisoners  were  murderers.  “ But  the  biggest 
criminals  of  all,”  said  the  Chief  of  Police  to  me,  “ are  not 
inside  this  prison;  they  are  outside!”  The  poor  devils 
inside  were  mere  wretches  who  had  not  been  able  to  bribe 
the  judges. 

Curiously  enough,  petty  theft  was  considered  a shame 
in  the  Province  of  Goyaz,  and  was  occasionally  severely 
punished;  whereas  murderers  were  usually  set  free.  I 
saw  a poor  negro  there  who  had  stolen  a handful  of  beans 
and  had  been  sent  to  five  years’  penal  servitude,  while 
others  who  had  killed  were  merely  sentenced  to  a few 
months’  punishment.  In  any  case,  no  one  in  Brazil  can 
be  sentenced  to  more  than  thirty  years’  detention,  no 
matter  how  terrible  the  crime  he  has  committed. 

The  display  of  police  guarding  the  prison  was  some- 
what excessive.  There  were  fifty  policemen  to  guard 
fifty  prisoners:  policemen  standing  at  each  door,  police- 
men at  each  corner  of  the  building,  while  a swarm  of  them 
occupied  the  front  hall.  The  various  common  cells  were 
entered  by  trap  doors  in  the  ceiling,  of  great  height,  and 
by  a ladder  which  was  let  down.  Thus  escape  was 
rendered  improbable,  the  iron  bars  of  the  elevated 
windows  being  sounded  every  morning  and  night  for 
further  safety. 

The  sanitary  arrangements  were  of  the  most  primitive 
kind,  a mere  bucket  in  a corner  serving  the  needs  of  eight 
or  ten  men  in  each  chamber. 

As  there  was  no  lunatic  asylum  in  Goyaz,  insane 
people  were  sent  to  prison  and  were  kept  and  treated  like 
criminals. 

I noticed  several  interesting  cases  of  insanity:  it 

109 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


generally  took  either  a religious  or  a criminal  form  in 
Brazil.  One  man,  with  a ghastly,  degenerate  face,  and  his 
neck  encircled  by  a heavy  iron  collar,  was  chained  to  the 
strong  bars  of  a window.  His  hands  and  feet  were  also 
chained.  The  chain  at  his  neck  was  so  short  that  he  could 
move  only  a few  inches  away  from  the  iron  bars.  He 
sat  crouched  like  a vicious  dog  on  the  window-ledge, 
howling  and  spitting  at  us  as  we  passed.  His  clothes 
were  torn  to  shreds;  his  eyes  were  sunken  and  staring; 
his  long,  thin,  sinewy  arms,  with  hands  which  hung  as  if 
dead,  occasionally  and  unconsciously  touched  this  or  that 
near  them.  I tried  to  get  close,  to  talk  and  examine  him ; 
but  his  fury  was  so  great  against  the  policeman  who  ac- 
companied me  that  it  was  impossible  to  get  near.  He 
was  trying  to  bite  like  a mad  dog,  and  injured  himself 
in  his  efforts  to  get  at  us.  Another  lunatic,  too  — loose 
in  a chamber  with  other  prisoners  — gave  a wonderful 
exhibition  of  fury,  that  time  against  me,  as  he  was  under 
the  impression  that  I had  come  there  to  kill  him!  He 
was  ready  to  spring  at  me  when  two  policemen  seized  him 
and  drove  him  back. 

There  was  a theatre  in  Goyaz,  a rambling  shed  of  no 
artistic  pretensions.  The  heat  inside  that  building  was 
stifling.  When  I inquired  why  there  were  no  windows 
to  ventilate  the  place,  I was  told  that  a leading  Goyaz 
gentleman,  having  once  travelled  to  St.  Petersburg  in 
Russia  in  winter-time,  and  having  seen  there  a theatre 
with  no  windows,  eventually  returned  to  his  native  city, 
and  immediately  had  all  the  windows  of  the  theatre 
walled  up,  regardless  of  the  fact  that  what  is  suitable  in 
a semi-arctic  climate  is  hardly  fit  for  a stifling,  tropical 
country. 

One  thing  that  struck  me  most  in  Goyaz  was  the 
incongruity  of  the  people.  AVith  the  little  literature  which 
found  its  way  so  far  in  the  interior,  most  of  the  men  pro- 
fessed advanced  social  and  religious  ideas,  the  majority 

110 


A RELIGIOUS  PROCESSION 


making  pretence  of  atheism  in  a very  acute  form.  “ Down 
with  faith:  down  with  religion:  down  with  the  priests!  ” 
was  their  cry. 

Yet,  much  to  my  amazement  — I was  there  in  Easter 
week  — one  evening  there  was  a religious  procession 
through  the  town.  What  did  I see?  All  those  fierce 
atheists,  with  bare,  penitent  heads  stooping  low,  carrying 
lighted  candles  and  wooden  images  of  our  crucified 
Saviour  and  the  Virgin!  The  procession  was  extremely 
picturesque,  the  entire  population,  dressed  up  for  the  oc- 
casion, being  out  in  the  streets  that  night,  while  all  the 
men,  including  the  policemen  and  federal  soldiers,  all 
bareheaded,  walked  meekly  along  in  the  procession,  each 
carrying  a candle.  When  the  procession  arrived  at  the 
church,  the  Presidente  himself  — another  atheist  — re- 
spectfully attended  the  service;  then  the  priest  came  out 
and  delivered  a spirited  sermon  to  the  assembled  crowds 
in  the  square.  Then  you  saw  those  atheists,  old  and 
young,  civil  and  military,  again  kneeling  on  the  hard  and 
irregular  paving-stones,  where  some  had  taken  the  pre- 
caution to  spread  their  handkerchiefs  so  as  not  to  soil 
their  trousers,  beating  their  chests  and  murmuring 
prayers,  and  shaking  their  heads  in  sign  of  repentance. 

Such  is  the  world!  The  prettiest  part  of  the  procession 
was  that  formed  by  the  young  girls,  all  garbed  in  immacu- 
late white,  and  with  jet-black  hair  — masses  of  it  — hang- 
ing loose  upon  their  shoulders.  The  chanting  was  musical, 
and  the  whole  affair  most  impressive. 

I had  received  somewhat  of  a shock  in  the  morning  on 
passing  the  principal  church;  there  were  five  or  six  in 
Goyaz.  Spread  out  upon  the  pavement  was  the  life-size, 
wooden  figure  of  our  Saviour,  which  had  evidently  long 
been  stored  in  a damp  cellar,  much  mildewed,  and  left 
in  the  sun  in  preparation  for  the  evening  performance. 
The  red  wig  of  real  hair,  with  its  crown  of  thorns,  had 
been  removed  and  was  drying  upon  a convenient,  neigh- 

' 111 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


bouring  shrub!  Really,  those  people  of  Goyaz  were  an 
amusing  mixture  of  simplicity  and  superstition. 

One  great  redeeming  point  of  the  people  of  Goyaz 
was  that  they  were  extremely  charitable.  They  had 
erected  a huge  building  as  a workhouse.  It  was  entirely 
supported  by  charity.  A small  library  had  also  been 
established. 

As  I have  elsewhere  stated,  I needed  for  my  expedition 
no  less  than  thirty  men,  so  that  they  could,  if  necessary, 
carry  all  my  instruments,  cameras,  provisions,  ammuni- 
tion, etc.,  where  animals  could  not  get  through. 

Fourteen  long  and  tedious  days  elapsed  in  Goyaz. 
No  one  could  be  induced  to  come.  In  despair,  I sent  a 
despatch  to  the  Minister  of  Agriculture,  asking  for  the 
loan  of  at  least  four  soldiers,  whom  I should  naturally 
have  paid  out  of  my  own  pocket,  as  I had  duly  explained 
to  the  Presidente,  who  backed  my  request.  To  my  regret, 
I received  a reply  from  the  Minister  of  War  saying  that 
at  that  moment  the  Government  could  not  possibly  spare 
four  soldiers.  It  must  be  said  that  although  the  men  of 
Goyaz  did  not  shine  for  their  bravery,  it  was  not  so  with 
the  ladies,  several  of  whom  offered,  if  necessary,  to  accom- 
pany the  expedition  and  do,  of  course,  the  work  of  the 
men.  I believe  that  they  meant  it. 

I have,  indeed,  the  greatest  respect  and  admiration  for 
the  noble  self-sacrifice  of  the  women  of  Goyaz.  Devoted 
mothers  and  wives  to  men  who  deserved  no  devotion  at 
all  — nearly  all  the  men  had  concubines  — gentle,  humble, 
thoughtful,  simple,  and  hard-working,  they  did  all  the 
work  in  the  house.  They  were  a great  contrast  to  the 
lazy,  conceited,  vain  male  portion  of  the  population.  Cer- 
tainly, in  a population  of  10,000  people,  I met  two  or 
three  men  who  deserved  respect,  but  they  were  the 
exception. 

If  the  men  were  so  timid,  it  was  not  altogether  their 
fault ; they  could  not  help  it.  A look  at  them  was  enough 

112 


CRIMINALS  AS  FOLLOWERS 


to  show  that  no  great  feats  of  bravery  could  be  expected 
of  them.  They  were  under-developed,  exhausted,  eaten 
up  by  the  most  terrible  complaint  of  the  blood.  The 
lives  in  which  they  merely  vegetated  were  without  any 
mental  stimulus.  Many  suffered  from  goitre;  others  had 
chests  that  were  pitiful  to  look  at,  so  under-developed 
were  they;  all  continually  complained,  every  time  you 
spoke  to  them,  of  headache,  toothache,  backache,  or  some 
other  ache.  They  were  always  dissatisfied  with  life  and 
with  the  world  at  large,  and  had  no  energy  whatever  to 
try  and  improve  their  condition.  They  were  extremely 
polite;  they  had  a conventional  code  of  good  manners,  to 
which  they  adhered  faithfully;  but  that  was  all. 

At  the  end  of  the  fourteen  days  in  Goyaz,  I had  been 
able  to  purchase  a good  number  of  mules  and  horses  — 
at  a very  high  price,  as  the  people  would  not  otherwise 
part  with  their  quadrupeds.  Also  I had  collected  all  the 
riding  and  pack  saddles  and  harness  necessary,  a sufficient 
quantity  of  spare  shoes  for  the  animals,  a number  of  large 
saws,  axes,  picks,  and  spades,  large  knives  for  cutting  our 
way  through  the  forest,  and  every  possible  implement 
necessary  on  a journey  of  the  kind  I was  about  to 
undertake.  Everything  was  ready  — except  the  men ! 

Alcides  Ferreiro  do  Santos  and  Filippe  da  Costa  de 
Britto,  the  two  men  lent  me  by  Mr.  Louis  Schnoor  in 
Araguary,  upon  seeing  my  plight,  were  at  last  induced 
to  accompany  the  expedition  at  a salary  of  close  upon  a 
pound  sterling  a day  each. 

At  the  last  moment  the  Presidente  came  to  my  rescue. 
He  supplied  me  with  six  men. 

“ They  are  criminals,”  he  said  to  me,  “ and  they  will 
give  you  no  end  of  trouble  ” — a fact  fully  demonstrated 
three  hours  later  that  same  evening,  when  one  of  them  — 
an  ex-policeman  — disappeared  forever  with  a few 
pounds  sterling  I had  advancd  him  in  order  to  purchase 
clothes.  Another  fellow  vanished  later,  carrying  away 

Vol.  i.  — s 113 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


some  forty  pounds  of  coffee,  sugar,  knives,  and  other 
sundries.  So  then  I had  two  criminals  less. 

I packed  my  animals,  and  was  about  to  depart  with 
the  four  remaining  rascals  and  the  two  Araguary  men 
— six  all  told  — when  a policeman,  sent  in  haste,  called 
me  to  the  palace.  The  truly  good-hearted  Presidente 
and  his  charming  family  were  in  a great  state  of  mind. 
They  told  me  that  my  men  had  gone  about  the  town  the 
previous  night  drinking,  and  had  confided  to  friends  that 
they  were  merely  coming  with  me  in  order  to  murder  and 
rob  me  of  all  I possessed  as  soon  as  they  had  an  oppor- 
tunity. It  was  an  open  secret  that  I carried  a very  large 
sum  of  money  upon  my  person,  as  after  leaving  Sao 
Paulo  City  it  was  impossible  to  obtain  money  by  cashing 
cheques  on  letters  of  credit  or  other  such  civilized  means, 
and  it  was  imperative  for  me  to  carry  several  thousand 
pounds  sterling  in  cash,  in  order  to  be  able  to  purchase 
horses,  mules,  boats,  food,  and  pay  the  men,  as  long  as 
the  journey  should  last. 

When  you  stop  to  consider  that  I had  before  me  the 
prospect  of  not  replenishing  my  exchequer  for  at  least  one 
year,  or  perhaps  even  two  years  or  more,  it  will  be  easily 
understood  that  if  one  wants  to  travel,  and  travel  quickly 
as  I do,  there  is  no  other  possible  way  than  to  carry  the 
money  with  one  in  hard  cash.  The  risk  was  certainly 
enormous,  although  no  one  except  myself  ever  really 
knew  the  amount  that  I actually  carried.  A large  portion 
of  that  sum  was  in  Brazilian  notes,  a good  deal  in  English 
bank-notes,  and  some  four  hundred  pounds  sterling  in 
English  gold.  As  I could  trust  nobody,  that  sum,  except 
what  I gradually  spent,  and  barring  the  few  moments 
when  I took  my  daily  morning  bath,  never  left  my  person, 
even  for  a few  minutes,  for  the  entire  period  of  one  year. 
Most  of  the  notes  were  contained  in  two  bulky  leather 
bags  and  the  gold  was  in  a third,  attached  firmly  to  a 
strong  belt  which  day  and  night,  much  to  my  discomfort, 

114 


HOW  THE  MONEY  WAS  CARRIED 


encircled  my  waist.  The  larger  bank-notes,  letters  of 
credit,  etc.,  were  divided  into  my  various  coat,  shirt,  and 
trousers  pockets.  The  gold  was  so  heavy  that  it  caused 
with  its  friction  a large  sore  on  my  right  hip  — a sore 
which  remained  there  more  or  less  for  an  entire  year. 

“ You  cannot  start  under  such  conditions,”  said  the 
Presidente  appealingly.  “ I cannot  furnish  other  men. 
No  one  will  go,  notwithstanding  the  high  pay  you  give 
them.” 

I thanked  the  Presidente  for  his  exquisite  kindness, 
and  for  the  very  generous  and  thoughtful  hospitality  he 
and  his  delightful  family  had  offered  me  in  Goyaz,  and 
which  left  in  my  mind  the  only  pleasant  moments  spent 
in  that  dull  city. 


115 


CHAPTER  IX 


The  Departure  — Devoured  by  Insects 

A FEW  minutes  later  I had  again  joined  my  caravan, 
watched  intently,  at  a respectful  distance,  by  a few 
astonished  natives  of  Goyaz.  As  soon  as  all  my 
mules  and  horses  had  been  packed  — they  were  very 
heavily  laden  — I took  my  departure  in  a direction  north- 
west by  west.  The  six  men  mounted  on  mules  came  along. 
I had  armed  all  my  followers  with  the  best  repeating 
carbines  that  are  made,  as  well  as  with  excellent  automatic 
pistols,  and  the  long  daggers  locally  used;  but  personally 
I carried  no  weapons  of  any  kind. 

Having  been  unsuccessful  in  obtaining  sufficient  men 
from  the  officials  of  Goyaz,  there  yet  remained  for  me  one 
last  faint  hope.  It  was  to  try  to  get  a few  followers  from 
the  Indian  colony  of  the  Salesian  friars,  a few  days’ 
journey  west  of  the  Araguaya  River. 

On  April  twenty-sixth,  from  the  height  of  Santa 
Barbara  (elevation  2,150  feet  above  the  sea  level),  a 
picturesque  chapel  and  graveyard  to  the  west  of  the  city, 
I bade  good-bye  for  good  to  Goyaz  City  (elevation  1,950 
feet).  One  obtained  from  this  point  a fine  view  of  the 
entire  city,  spreading  from  north  to  south,  at  the  bottom  of 
the  imposing  frame  of  mountains  on  the  south  with  their 
extraordinary  columnar  formation.  Each  natural  column, 
with  its  mineral  composition  and  crystallization,  shone 
like  silver  in  the  bright  light.  The  ensemble  from  our 
point  of  vantage  resembled  the  set  of  pipes  of  an  immense 
church  organ.  High  hills  stood  to  the  east.  In  the 

116 


THE  FIRST  MUTINY 

distance,  to  the  southwest,  the  lower  country  was  open, 
with  the  exception  of  mountains  in  the  far  background. 

We  marched  rapidly  enough  across  wooded  country 
until  we  crossed  the  Rio  Vermelho  (elevation  1,750  feet). 
My  men  became  very  excited  and  began  firing  their 
carbines  recklessly.  I had  handed  to  them  fifty  cartridges 
each,  with  strict  instructions  not  to  fire  without  my  orders. 
I was  some  distance  off.  When  I heard  the  fusillade,  I 
immediately  galloped  to  the  spot.  The  men  had  blazed 
away  nearly  all  their  ammunition,  nor  would  they  cease 
firing  when  I ordered  them  until  they  had  exhausted  their 
supply  of  300  cartridges  in  all.  Why  were  they  firing? 
Because,  said  they,  they  had  crossed  the  first  water  on 
their  journey. 

My  heart  absolutely  sank  into  my  boots  when  I 
realized  that  it  was  my  fate  to  travel  with  such  contemp- 
tible imbeciles  for  perhaps  a year  longer  or  more,  and  that 
was  only  the  first  day ! Oh,  what  a prospect ! We  had  our 
first  quarrel  when  the  men  demanded  to  have  their  belts 
replenished  with  cartridges,  for  their  protection  against 
attack.  As  I refused  to  let  them  have  them,  there  was  a 
mutiny,  the  men  declining  to  go  on  another  yard  unless 
the  cartridges  were  handed  to  them.  We  had  not  been 
gone  more  than  three  hours,  and  a mutiny  already!  With 
a great  deal  of  patience  I induced  them  to  go  on,  which 
they  eventually  did  with  oaths  and  language  somewhat 
unpleasant.  Still  I held  firm. 

After  several  ascents  and  descents  and  a great  many 
mishaps  with  our  mules,  unaccustomed  yet  to  the  work, 
we  made  camp,  having  marched  18  kilometres  on  the 
bank  of  the  Rio  Agapa  (elevation  1,650  feet),  near  which 
the  grazing  was  fair. 

Two  mules  escaped  during  the  night,  and  we  could 
make  only  a late  start  the  next  morning.  Alcides  traced 
them  all  the  way  back  to  Goyaz,  where  he  recovered  them. 
Up  and  down  we  went,  from  1,760  feet  to  1,550  feet,  at 

117 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


which  elevation  we  crossed  the  Rio  Indio,  with  a beautiful 
rocky  bed;  the  banks  showed  strata  of  red  and  grey 
clay  and  the  delicious  water  was  crystalline.  No  fossils 
of  any  kind  were  to  be  seen  anywhere,  although  I looked 
hard  in  search  of  them  all  the  time.  The  country  was 
undulating  and  fairly  thickly  wooded  near  streams; 
otherwise  it  consisted  mostly  of  campos,  at  the  highest 
point  of  which  another  beautiful  panoramic  view  of  the 
escarpment  in  the  plateau  we  had  left  behind  could  be 
obtained.  The  elevation  was  constantly  changing  between 
1,750  feet  and  2,050  feet  above  the  sea  level.  Burity  and 
other  palms  were  plentiful.  We  crossed  that  day  three 
streams,  the  last  one  the  Rio  Uva. 

In  a distance  of  38  kilometres  we  saw  only  a miserable 
shed,  although  we  passed  a site  where  a ruined  house  and 
paddock  showed  that  once  there  must  have  been  quite  an 
ancient  and  important  farm.  Yes,  indeed,  Goyaz  State 
had  seen  better  days  in  the  time  of  the  Emperor  and  when 
slavery  was  legal.  With  the  present  lack  of  population 
and  the  prohibitive  prices  of  labour,  it  was  impossible  to 
carry  on  farming  profitably. 

The  landscape  was  everywhere  beautiful,  but  one 
never  saw  a bird,  never  perceived  a butterfly,  nor  any 
other  animal  life  of  any  kind.  I was  just  remarking 
this  fact  to  Alcides  when  a snake,  eight  or  nine  feet  long, 
crossed  at  a great  speed  in  front  of  my  mule.  The  mules 
and  horses  were  rather  frightened  at  first  of  snakes,  and 
it  was  amusing  to  watch  how  high  they  stepped  when  they 
saw  them  and  tried  to  escape  from  them.  We  were  in 
great  luck.  A flock  of  six  beautiful  red  araras  (macaws) 
passed  above  our  heads.  They  looked  perfectly  gorgeous 
as  they  flapped  their  wings  heavily  and  shrieked  loudly  as 
they  sped  along. 

The  formation  of  the  soil  in  that  region  was  interesting 
enough.  Under  a greyish  white  surface  layer  there  were 
thin,  sedimentary  strata  of  pebbles,  deposited  evidently 

118 


SOME  OF  THE  AUTHOR’S  PACK  ANIMALS. 


AUTHOR  S CARAVAN  ACROSS  THE  IMMENSE  PRAIRIES  OF  MATTO  GROSSO. 


ANIMAL  LIFE 


by  water;  then  under  these  a thick  stratum — 30  feet  or 
more  — of  warm-coloured,  red  earth.  The  streams  which 
had  cut  their  way  through  this  geological  formation  were 
invariably  limpid  in  the  extreme. 

We  were  beginning  to  find  beautiful  flowers  and  but- 
terflies again,  the  latter  in  great  swarms  near  the  water. 

My  caravan  of  grey  and  white  pack-animals,  some 
fourteen  in  all,  was  quite  a picturesque  sight  as  it  wound 
its  way  down  steep  hillsides,  the  mounted  men  urging  the 
mules  with  shouts  and  lashes  from  their  whips.  We  ex- 
perienced difficulty  in  finding  a good  camp  that  night,  the 
grazing  being  poor  and  the  water  scarce  when  sunset  came. 
It  seemed  a pity  that  the  most  suitable  camping  places 
were  not  always  to  be  found  when  you  wished  to  halt! 

We  were  now  at  an  elevation  of  1,550  feet.  When  we 
proceeded  the  next  morning,  we  found  nothing  of  interest. 
Fairly  wooded  country  alternated  with  campos,  at  first 
rather  undulating,  then  almost  flat,  until  we  arrived  at 
the  Tapirapuana  River  (elevation  1,350  feet),  8 yards 
wide  and  3 feet  deep,  which  we  crossed  without  much 
trouble,  in  the  afternoon,  at  a spot  some  28  kilometres  dis- 
tant from  our  last  camp.  Luxuriant  foliage  hung  over  the 
banks  right  down  into  the  water,  which  flowed  so  slowly  — 
at  the  rate  of  only  1,080  metres  an  hour  — that  it  looked 
almost  stagnant,  and  of  a muddy,  dirty,  greenish  colour. 

We  were  much  troubled  by  mosquitoes,  flies,  and 
carrapatinlios,  the  latter  a kind  of  tiny  little  clinging 
parasite  which  swarmed  absolutely  all  over  us  every  time 
we  put  our  feet  on  the  ground  on  dismounting  from  our 
animals.  The  irritation  was  such  that  you  actually  drove 
your  nails  into  your  skin  in  scratching  yourself.  They 
could  be  driven  away  only  by  smearing  oneself  all  over 
with  tobacco  juice,  the  local  remedy,  or  with  strong 
carbolic  soap,  which  I generally  used,  and  which  worked 
even  more  satisfactorily. 

A tubercular  leper  came  to  spend  the  evening  in  our 

119 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


camp.  He  was  most  repulsive,  with  his  enlarged  features, 
especially  the  nose,  of  a ghastly,  shiny,  unwholesome, 
greenish  white,  and  pitifully  swollen  feet  and  hands. 

The  heat  was  not  unbearable  in  that  region  — 89° 
Fahrenheit  in  the  shade,  105°  in  the  sun.  There  was  a 
breeze  blowing  that  day  from  the  northeast,  with  a velocity 
of  200  metres  a minute  by  anemometer. 

A good  portion  of  the  following  day  was  wasted  trying 
to  recover  four  animals  that  had  escaped.  In  order  that 
they  might  graze  properly  it  was  necessary  to  let  them 
loose.  They  sometimes  strayed  away  long  distances. 
Occasionally  they  hid  in  the  shade  of  the  matto  (forest 
and  shrub),  and  it  was  easy  to  miss  them  while  looking 
for  them.  Luckily,  two  of  my  men,  Alcides  and  a man 
called  Antonio,  were  excellent  trackers,  and  sooner  or 
later  they  were  generally  able  to  locate  and  bring  back 
the  animals,  which  was  not  at  all  difficult,  as  one  had 
only  to  follow  the  marks  of  their  hoofs  to  find  where  they 
had  gone. 

We  departed  late  in  the  afternoon  through  thick  shrub, 
over  marked  undulations,  in  some  spots  quite  steep. 
From  the  highest  point  that  day  (elevation  1,900  feet) 
we  obtained  an  extensive  view  of  flat  tablelands  in  the 
distance  to  the  east,  with  a low  hill-range  standing  in 
front  of  them.  It  was  scenery  quite  typical  of  Central 
Brazil,  with  no  irregular,  striking  mountains;  but  every- 
where we  had  plenty  to  study  in  the  effects  of  erosion  on 
that  great  continent. 

I tried  to  make  up  for  time  lost  by  marching  at  night, 
a most  trying  experience,  as  my  men,  unaccustomed  to 
the  work  and  frightened  at  every  shadow,  let  the  mules 
stray  in  all  directions.  I unfortunately  had  to  hand  over 
to  my  followers  a few  cartridges  each,  or  else  they  would 
not  come  on.  Every  now  and  then  that  night  they  fired 
recklessly  in  the  dark  — much  to  the  danger  of  beasts  and 
men  alike  — thinking  they  had  seen  an  Indian,  or  a 

120 


THE  CARRAPATO 


leopard,  or  some  other  wild  animal.  I was  glad  when  we 
arrived  in  camp  and  ascertained  that  no  one  had  been 
wounded. 

That  night-march  demoralized  animals  and  men  alike. 
Most  of  the  animals  strayed  away  during  the  night,  as 
the  grazing  was  bad  where  we  halted.  I was  compelled 
to  halt  for  two  days  in  that  miserable  spot,  simply  de- 
voured by  flies  and  mosquitoes  and  carrapatos,  in  order  to 
recover  them. 

If  you  do  not  know  what  a carrapato  is,  let  me  tell  you. 
It  is  an  insect  of  the  order  Diptera  and  the  genus 
Mosca  pupiparas,  and  is  technically  known  as  Melophagus 
ovinus.  Its  flattened,  almost  circular  body  varies  in  size 
from  the  head  of  an  ordinary  nail  to  the  section  of  a good- 
sized  pencil.  Like  the  carrapatinho  — its  miniature  re- 
production— it  possesses  wonderful  clinging  powers,  its 
legs  with  hook  attachment  actually  entering  under  the 
skin.  Its  chief  delight  consists  in  inserting  its  head  right 
under  your  cutaneous  tissues,  wherefrom  it  can  suck  your 
blood  with  convenient  ease.  It  is  wonderfully  adept  at 
this,  and  while  I was  asleep,  occasionally  as  many  as  eight 
or  ten  of  these  brutes  were  able  to  settle  down  comfortably 
to  their  work  without  my  noticing  them;  and  some  — 
and  it  speaks  highly  for  their  ability  — were  even  able 
to  enter  my  skin  (in  covered  parts  of  the  body)  in  the 
daytime  when  I was  fully  awake,  without  my  detecting 
them.  I believe  that  previous  to  inserting  the  head  they 
must  inject  some  poison  which  deadens  the  sensitiveness 
of  the  skin.  It  is  only  after  they  have  been  at  work  some 
hours  that  a slight  itching  causes  their  detection.  Then 
comes  the  difficulty  of  extracting  them.  If  in  a rash 
moment  you  seize  the  carrapato  by  the  body  and  pull,  its 
head  becomes  separated  from  its  body  and  remains  under 
your  skin,  poisoning  it  badly  and  eventually  causing  un- 
pleasant sores.  Having  been  taught  the  proper  process 
of  extraction,  I,  like  all  my  men,  carried  on  my  person  a 

121 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


large  pin.  When  the  carrapato  was  duly  located  — it  is 
quite  easy  to  see  it,  as  the  large  body  remains  outside  — 
the  pin  was  duly  pushed  right  through  its  body.  The 
carrapato,  thus  surprised,  at  once  let  go  with  its  clinging 
legs,  which  struggled  pitifully  in  the  air.  Then  with 
strong  tobacco  juice  or  liquefied  carbolic  soap,  or  iodine, 
you  smeared  all  round  the  place  where  the  head  was  still 
inserted.  The  unpleasantness  of  these  various  beverages 
immediately  persuaded  the  brute  to  withdraw  its  head. 
You  could  then  triumphantly  wave  the  pin  and  struggling 
carrapato  in  the  air.  You  were  liberated  from  the  un- 
pleasant visitor.  It  was  not  uncommon  while  you  were 
extracting  one  — the  operation  took  some  little  time  — 
for  two  or  three  others  to  find  their  way  into  your  legs  or 
body.  I fortunately  possess  blood  which  does  not  easily 
get  poisoned,  and  felt  no  ill  effects  from  the  hundreds  of 
these  brutes  which  fed  on  me  during  the  entire  journey; 
but  many  people  suffer  considerably.  My  men,  for  in- 
stance, had  nasty-looking  sores  produced  by  the  bites  of 
the  carrapato.  The  mules  and  horses  were  simply  swarm- 
ing with  these  insects,  which  gave  them  no  end  of  trouble, 
especially  as  they  selected  the  tenderest  parts  of  the  skin 
in  various  localities  of  the  body  to  settle  upon.  Where 
an  animal  had  a sore,  it  would  soon  be  swarming  with 
carrapatos  near  its  edge.  It  would  then  putrefy,  and 
maggots  in  hundreds  would  be  produced  inside  the  wound 
almost  within  a few  hours. 

There  was,  near  by,  an  old  moradoria,  a large  patch 
of  muriey  trees  (Byrsonima) , of  which  various  species 
exist.  These  were  not  unlike  small  olive  trees  and  pro- 
duced a small  sweet  fruit  quite  good  to  eat. 

We  went  for  22  kilometres  through  a forest  with 
beautiful  fan  palms  over  30  feet  high.  There  was  no 
animal  life.  We  crossed  three  streamlets,  the  country 
between  being  undulating.  Between  the  last  two  streams 
we  came  across  rock  showing  through  the  alluvial  de- 

122 


A USELESS  TASK 


posits.  It  was  an  interesting  conglomerate  of  minute 
crystals  cemented  together  by  hardened  clay,  the  whole 
forming  large  blocks. 

More  trouble  was  in  store  for  us.  One  of  my  mules 
was  seriously  injured.  Its  spine  was  so  badly  strained 
that  it  was  quite  disabled  for  further  work.  My  cook, 
who  had  a slight  attack  of  indigestion,  wished  to  be  left 
there  to  die,  and  declined  to  proceed  any  farther.  With 
true  Brazilian  reasoning  he  wished,  nevertheless,  to  be 
paid  off  before  dying.  With  true  English  reasoning  I 
explained  to  him  that  money  would  be  of  little  use  to  him 
in  the  next  world.  If  he  really  intended  to  die,  I would 
certainly  not  pay  him,  but  his  wages  would  naturally  go 
on  while  he  was  alive,  continued  the  journey,  and  did  the 
cooking.  He  quickly  returned  to  life,  and  to  his  senses. 

Really,  in  the  entire  experiences  of  my  travels  I have 
never  come  across  more  pitiable  specimens  of  manhood 
than  those  fellows.  They  absolutely  gave  me  a sick  feel- 
ing that  I never  lost  while  they  were  with  me,  for  many, 
many  months  to  come.  The  animals,  too,  were  almost  as 
bad  as  the  men.  They  had  little  endurance,  they  had  no 
courage;  everything  seemed  to  affect  them.  The  worst 
Abyssinian  mule,  for  instance,  was,  for  equal  work,  vastly 
superior  to  the  best  Goyaz  mule.  It  was  a useless  task  to 
try  and  train  those  animals.  On  my  many  previous  expe- 
ditions I had  been  able  to  win  the  affection  of  my  animals, 
and  was  able  to  train  them  in  a few  days  so  that  they 
obeyed  with  the  perfection  of  soldiers,  but  in  Brazil,  the 
last  day  I had  them  after  the  several  months  that  they 
had  been  with  me,  they  were  just  as  disobedient  and  stupid 
as  on  the  first  day.  In  fact,  they  never  even  seemed  to 
recognize  us  again.  They  had  learnt  absolutely  nothing, 
except  bad  habits.  Everything  seemed  to  frighten  them. 
One  mule,  for  instance,  was  afraid  to  cross  small  streams. 
Its  legs  invariably  began  to  quiver  on  entering  the  water, 
and  down  would  go  mule  and  baggage  into  the  water. 

123 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


All  the  thrashing  in  the  world  could  not  make  it  get  up. 
We  had  to  drag  the  brute  bodily  across  the  stream,  when 
it  would  jump  up  on  its  legs  again.  It  was  quite  futile  to 
try  and  prevent  that  animal  from  collapsing  every  time 
it  had  to  go  across  water.  So  that,  on  approaching  any 
streamlet,  we  had  to  unload  it,  in  order  to  keep  the 
baggage  at  least  from  getting  soaked. 

The  interior  of  Brazil  — even  comparatively  near  a 
city,  as  we  were  still  to  Goyaz  — did  not  compare  in 
civilization  with  the  lowest  and  poorest  countries  of 
Central  Asia  or  Africa.  Humble  countries  like  Persia 
and  Beluchistan  or  Abyssinia  some  ten  or  fifteen  years 
ago  were  more  advanced  than  Brazil  to-day.  They  had 
good  trails  on  which  a regular  postal  service  was 
established,  there  were  regular  rest-houses  on  those  trails, 
and  horses  or  camels  could  easily  be  hired  and  exchanged 
at  the  different  stations,  so  that  one  could  travel  compara- 
tively quickly.  It  was  not  so  in  Brazil.  Even  if  you 
wished  to  take  a short  journey  of  a few  days  from  a city, 
you  had  to  purchase  your  horses  or  your  mules,  and  have 
the  riding  and  pack  saddles  made  for  you  at  a high  cost. 

As  we  have  seen,  even  in  the  city  of  Goyaz  itself,  there 
did  not  exist  a single  hotel,  nor  did  we  find  a proper 
rest-house  in  the  531  kilometres  between  the  railway 
terminus  and  the  Goyaz  capital.  Nor  is  there  one  of 
these  conveniences  west,  between  Goyaz  and  Cuyaba, 
the  capital  of  Matto  Grosso.  Of  course  there  were  no 
hotels  because  nobody  travelled,  but  it  can  also  be  said 
that  many  people  do  not  care  to  travel  where  there  are 
no  hotels.  In  so  humble  and  poor  a country  as  Persia 
you  always  could  indulge  in  a delicious  bath  in  every 
caravanserai,  which  you  found  in  the  remotest  spots  all 
over  the  country.  In  Brazil  you  have  to  resort  to  the 
streams,  and  the  moment  you  remove  your  clothes  you 
are  absolutely  devoured  by  mosquitoes,  flies,  and  insects 
of  all  kinds  — a perfect  torture,  I can  assure  you.  Once 

124 


UNPLEASANT  BATHING 


you  were  in  the  water,  immersed  up  to  the  mouth,  it  took 
a brave  man  to  come  out  again,  as  millions  of  mosquitoes 
and  flies  and  gnats  circled  angrily  and  greedily  above  your 
head,  ready  for  the  attack  the  moment  you  appeared. 

We  were  travelling  all  the  time  at  elevations  varying 
from  1,450  feet  at  our  last  camp,  to  1,400  feet  at  our 
present  camp,  the  highest  elevation  between  these  two 
places  being  on  a rocky  hillock  about  100  feet  higher  than 
those  altitudes. 

Our  camp  was  on  a streamlet  flowing  from  south  to 
north,  of  milky  water  containing  lime,  which  made  our 
tongues  and  gums  smart  when  we  drank  it. 

Again,  on  May  third  we  went  through  forest  all  the 
time,  with  wonderful  palms  and  many  medicinal  plants. 
Alcides  had  an  extensive  knowledge  of  the  curative  quali- 
ties of  the  various  plants.  Various  species  of  the  Caroba 
(Bignoniacece) , very  beneficial,  they  say,  as  a blood 
purifier,  especially  in  the  worst  of  terrible  complaints, 
were  plentiful  there.  Giant  nettles,  the  Ortiga  or  Cas- 
sausan,  as  it  is  locally  called,  were  also  frequently  notice- 
able, especially  when  we  passed  too  near  and  were  stung 
all  over  by  them. 

We  had  risen  to  1,200  feet  on  the  summit  of  a range 
called  O Fogo.  From  it  we  had  another  exquisite  view  of 
the  mountain  range  called  Bucainha,  which  we  had  left 
behind  to  the  east.  It  had  a marked  erosion  on  its 
north  side. 

On  the  west  side  of  the  pass  we  found  curious  small 
domes,  as  well  as  pillars  and  other  rocks  of  columnar 
formation.  We  had  met  during  the  day  many  Aricori 
palms,  which,  I was  told,  produced  a sweet  fruit  excellent 
to  eat  when  ripe,  in  the  month  of  November. 

After  a steep,  rocky  descent,  we  made  our  camp.  We 
halted  earlier  than  usual.  I was  sitting  outside  my  tent 
while  my  dinner  was  being  cooked.  I could  not  help 
smiling  at  the  warlike  array  which  had  been  necessary 

125 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

in  order  to  make  a start  from  Goyaz.  The  camp  was  a 
regular  armoury.  Beautiful  magazine  rifles,  now  rusty 
and  dirty  owing  to  the  carelessness  of  the  men,  were  lying 
about  on  the  ground;  revolvers  and  automatic  pistols 
stuck  half  out  of  their  slings  on  the  men’s  belts,  as  they 
walked  about  the  camp;  large  knives  and  daggers  had 
been  thrown  about,  and  so  had  the  huge,  heavy,  nickel- 
plated  spurs  of  the  men,  with  their  gigantic  spiked  wheels. 
These  wheels  were  as  much  as  two  inches  in  diameter  and 
even  more.  It  was  the  habit  of  Brazilians  to  wear  the 
spurs  upside  down,  so  that  when  they  got  off  their  mounts 
they  had  to  remove  them  or  it  would  have  been  impossible 
for  them  to  walk.  Naturally,  worn  like  that,  they  were 
much  more  effective,  and  were  intended  to  torment  the 
animals  with  greater  success. 

I reprimanded  the  men  for  keeping  their  weapons  so 
dirty.  One  man  thereupon  sat  himself  three  feet  away 
from  me  and  proceeded  to  clean  his  rifle,  keeping  the 
muzzle  pointed  constantly  at  me.  On  my  suggesting  that 
he  might  point  the  weapon  in  another  direction,  he  roughly 
replied  the  usual  thing:  “ There  is  nothing  to  be  afraid 
of,  it  is  not  loaded,”  and  he  was  just  about  to  pull  the 
trigger,  the  gun  pointed  straight  at  me,  when  I leapt  up 
and  snatched  it  out  of  his  hands.  There  was  a cartridge 
in  the  barrel  and  several  cartridges  in  the  magazine. 

During  the  night  the  fusillade  was  constant.  It  was 
enough  for  the  men  to  hear  a leaf  fall.  Immediately 
there  was  an  alarm  and  the  rifles  were  fired.  Once  or 
twice  the  bullets  came  so  unpleasantly  near  me  that  I 
suspected  they  were  intended  for  me.  I thanked  my 
stars  that  my  men  were  bad  shots.  To  make  sure  of  this 
fact,  I one  day  had  a shooting  competition.  After  that 
I became  quite  assured  that  it  was  sufficient  to  be  at  the 
spot  where  they  aimed  to  consider  myself  in  absolute 
safety.  It  was  not  so,  of  course,  when  they  aimed  some- 
where else.  I did  not  care  to  take  away  the  cartridges 

126 


TORTURING  SADDLES 


from  them  altogether,  as  they  would  have  then  imagined 
that  I was  afraid  of  them,  an  impression  which  it  would 
have  been  fatal  to  let  them  entertain  even  for  a moment. 
Each  man  was  allowed  to  replenish  his  belt  each  day  to 
the  extent  of  ten  cartridges. 

I have  elsewhere  referred  to  the  absurd  pack-saddles 
used  in  Brazil,  so  heavy  and  unsteady  when  going  over 
rough  country,  with  the  underpads  so  difficult  to  adjust 
that  the  animals  were  soon  a mass  of  sores  on  the  back, 
the  sides  of  the  body,  on  the  chest  and  tail.  I had  other 
lighter  and  more  sensible  saddles,  but  I had  to  discard 
them,  as  the  Brazilians  would  not  hear  of  using  them,  and 
I gave  up  in  despair  of  teaching  them  how  to  pack  them. 
I eventually  left  those  saddles  behind. 

The  riding-saddles,  too,  were  almost  as  absurd  as  the 
pack-saddles,  constructed  as  they  were  of  innumerable 
and  useless  pieces  of  wood,  iron,  and  leather.  The  stir- 
rups were  gaudy,  and  consisted  of  a regular  shoe  of  silver 
or  other  metal,  into  which  you  inserted  the  greater  part 
of  your  foot,  or  else  of  a much  ornamented  circular  ring. 
The  head-piece  and  bit  were  also  extremely  heavy,  clumsy, 
and  highly  decorated,  for  everything  must  be  made  for 
show  if  it  has  to  be  used  in  Brazil. 

It  was  not  possible  to  associate  in  any  way  or  be 
friendly  with  my  men.  They  were  unpleasant  beyond  all 
conception.  One  could  not  say  a word,  no  matter  how 
kind,  without  the  prospect  of  a long  argument  or  a row. 
It  was  quite  beyond  them  to  be  civil,  and,  like  all  ignorant 
people,  they  always  imagined  that  they  could  teach  others 
everything,  including  good  manners!  They  were  ridicu- 
lously courteous  to  one  another;  a muleteer  talking  to 
another  always  addressed  him  as  “ Sir,”  and  referred  to 
his  comrades  as  his  “ colleagues.” 

We  travelled  that  day  nearly  altogether  over  finely 
powdered  reddish  earth  of  volcanic  origin.  I had  so  far 
not  met  with  a single  fossil,  not  a shell,  not  a petrified 

127 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


bone  of  any  animal,  nor,  indeed,  impressions  on  rock  of 
leaves,  twigs,  or  other  parts  of  plants.  The  farther  one 
went  on,  the  more  one  had  proof  that  that  portion  at  least 
of  the  American  continent  had  never  been  submerged  in 
its  entirety. 

Some  rocks  displayed  on  the  surface  peculiar  perfora- 
tions such  as  would  be  produced  by  incessant  water 
dripping  over  them,  but  these  were  caused,  I think,  merely 
by  water  falling  over  them  while  they  were  in  a molten 
state;  other  rocks  were  thoroughly  polished  on  the 
surface,  as  if  sand  or  other  gritty  substance  had  flowed 
with  great  force  over  them,  mixed  with  water  — perhaps 
during  a period  of  volcanic  activity  and  torrential  rains. 

Geological  research  was  somewhat  difficult  for  a 
passing  traveller  in  that  region,  for  everything  was 
smothered  in  vegetation.  Only  here  and  there,  in  the 
cuts  of  rivers,  was  I able  to  judge  a little  better  of  the 
actual  formation  of  the  land. 

We  camped  on  the  stream  Agua  Limpa,  which  duly 
deserved  its  name  of  “ clear  water  ” (elevation  1,470  feet) . 
It  flowed  south.  On  May  fourth,  going  through  forest 
again  over  a hill  (elevation  1,650  feet),  we  obtained  a 
glorious  view  of  the  immense  expanse  to  the  west  and  to 
the  southwest  — a great  stretch  of  greenish,  long,  sweep- 
ing lines  with  a plateau  in  the  background.  A somewhat 
taller  hill  rose  at  one  end  of  it.  We  then  descended  to 
another  deliciously  clear  river,  which  deserved  as  well  as 
the  previous  one  the  name  of  Agua  Limpa  (elevation 
1,450  feet),  but  this  one  flowed  north  into  the  Rio  Claro. 
The  land  was  fine,  sparsely  wooded  all  the  time,  absolutely 
flat,  but  getting  slightly  undulating  beyond  that  stream. 
It  seemed  wonderful  land  for  agricultural  purposes. 

After  passing  the  Indian  River,  the  Bom  Successo, 
and  another  stream,  all  three  flowing  south,  we  swerved 
more  to  the  northwest,  climbing  up  on  an  elevated  spot, 
from  which  we  obtained  another  glorious  panorama.  A 

128 


THE  WORK  OF  UNCOUNTABLE  AGES 


high  Serra  lay  to  the  west,  another  in  the  distance  to  the 
east,  the  two  extending  almost  parallel  towards  the  south, 
where  the  gap  in  the  horizon  line  between  these  ranges 
was  filled  by  a very  distant  range,  showing  a conical  peak, 
and  to  the  west  of  this  another,  in  the  shape  of  a dome. 
It  was  the  grandeur  of  these  panoramas  that  impressed 
one  most,  rather  than  their  monotonous  beauty. 

All  the  outlines  of  the  scenery  of  Central  Brazil  had, 
so  to  speak,  been  worn  smooth  by  the  erosive  action  of 
water  and  wind,  so  that  no  fantastically  shaped  moun- 
tains had  yet  been  encountered,  no  landscape  which  some 
great  commotion  had  rendered  strangely  picturesque. 
There,  only  the  steady  work  of  uncountable  ages  showed 
itself  in  a most  impressive  way  to  those  who  understood. 
From  a pictorial  point  of  view  very  little  remained  in 
one’s  mind  of  those  wonderful  scenes  after  one  had 
turned  one’s  head  away,  except,  perhaps,  their  immensity 
and  the  deep  green  tones  — their  two  salient  points. 

When  we  had  descended  from  the  pass  (elevation 
1,650  feet)  we  came  to  the  Rio  Tres  de  Majo,  where  a 
hamlet  of  three  sheds  was  found.  Twenty-eight  kilo- 
metres from  our  last  camp  we  arrived  at  the  Rio 
Rancheria,  where  stood  a miserable  farm.  Both  those 
streams,  at  an  elevation  of  1,300  feet,  flowed  into  the  Rio 
Claro  to  the  north. 

We  had  the  misfortune  to  halt  near  the  farmhouse, 
and  suffered  tortures  from  the  millions  of  mosquitoes, 
gnats,  carrapatos,  and  carrapatinhos  which  made  that 
night  almost  unbearable.  I invariably  found  that  carra- 
patos and  carrapatinhos  were  more  plentiful  where  living 
people  or  animals  were  to  be  found.  Near  those  dirty 
farmhouses  we  were  simply  swarming  all  over  with  them. 
My  poor  animals,  owing  to  the  long  marches  we  had  been 
making,  and  the  terrible  pack-saddles,  had  sore  backs, 
loins,  and  chests.  Yet  we  could  not  stop,  and  the  poor 
things  had  to  stand  the  pain  and  strain. 

vol.  i.  — 9 129 


CHAPTER  X 


Fishing  — Termites  — The  Great  Araguaya  River 

AX  amusing  incident  happened.  A cow  chewed  up 
the  coat  of  one  of  my  men,  which  was  lying  on 
the  ground.  In  his  fury,  the  owner  of  the  coat,  on 
discovering  the  misdeed,  seized  his  carbine  and  fired  four 
shots  at  the  cow  and  four  at  the  farmhouse.  None  of 
us  could  tell  where  the  bullets  went.  The  cow,  startled 
by  the  shots,  gave  a few  jumps  and  kicks,  then,  absolutely 
uninjured,  peacefully  continued  grazing.  The  house,  too, 
remained  untouched.  Amazing  shots  my  men  were! 

Across  almost  flat  country  we  reached  the  Rio  Claro 
— “the  Limpid  River”  (elevation  1,250  feet  above  the 
sea  level),  200  yards  wide,  and  flowing  by  a winding 
course  in  a general  direction  of  southwest  to  northeast. 
Wide  beaches  of  sand  and  fine  gravel  were  to  be  seen  on 
the  convex  or  inner  curves  of  its  channel.  Along  the 
banks  there  was  luxuriant  vegetation,  which  hung  down 
and  dipped  into  the  water. 

Diamonds  were  to  be  found  in  that  river.  At  low 
water  curious  eruptive,  highly  ferruginous  rocks  showed 
in  the  river  bed,  some  in  the  shape  of  spherical  balls 
riddled  with  perforations,  as  if  they  had  been  in  a state 
of  ebullition,  others  as  little  pellets  of  yellow  lava,  such  as 
I had  before  encountered  between  Araguary  and  Goyaz, 
and  which  suggested  the  spluttering  of  molten  rock 
suddenly  cooled  by  contact  with  cold  air  or  water. 

We  encamped  some  three  kilometres  from  the  Rio 
Claro,  on  the  streamlet  Arejado,  where  again  we  were 

130 


ANOTHER  MUTINY 


devoured  by  mosquitoes.  Although  we  all  had  thick 
mosquito  nets,  and  although  we  slept  wrapped,  head  and 
all,  in  our  respective  blankets,  the  brutes  managed  to  find 
their  way  in  and  stung  us  with  incredible  vigour.  We 
were  fresh  blood  for  them.  The  irritation  caused  by  their 
bites  was  a torment. 

We  were  now  getting  closer  to  the  country  where  we 
were  to  meet  the  terrible  wild  Indians,  the  most  ferocious 
and  cruel  cannibals  on  earth,  according  to  the  accounts 
heard  in  Goyaz.  My  men  were  already  beginning  to  lose 
heart.  With  the  sleepless  night  due  to  the  mosquitoes, 
and  the  heavy  atmosphere  caused  by  a fast-approaching 
thunderstorm,  they  were  morose  in  the  morning.  With 
the  exception  of  Alcides  and  the  negro  Filippe,  they 
came  insolently  forward  and  refused  to  go  any  farther. 
They  shoved  the  muzzles  of  their  rifles  under  my  nose; 
they  wished  to  be  paid  up  instantly  and  go  back.  With 
a little  patience  it  was  easy  to  get  out  of  difficulties  of 
that  sort,  if  you  possessed  the  gift  of  keeping  calm. 

Faithful  Alcides,  who  had  a fiery  temper,  seized  his 
rifle  and  was  about  to  fire  at  them,  when  I took  the 
weapon  from  him. 

“Do  not  shoot  them,  Alcides:  these  men  have  been 
good  (s-ic)  until  now  because  they  were  in  good  health. 
They  are  bad  now  because  they  are  ill.  I will  cure  them.” 

And  so  saying  I felt  the  pulse  and  forehead  of  the 
astonished  rioters. 

“ Yes,  indeed,  these  men  are  very,  very  ill.  They  need 
medicine.  Alcides,  get  the  castor  oil  — - the  large  tin.” 

I had  two  kinds  of  castor  oil:  one  tasteless  — pour 
fafon  de  parler  — for  my  own  use  and  cases  of  serious 
illness;  another  in  large  tins,  of  the  commonest  kind, 
with  an  odour  that  would  kill  an  ox,  which  I used  occa- 
sionally for  punishment  on  my  men  when  they  were 
disobedient. 

Alcides,  who  quickly  entered  into  the  spirit  of  that 

131 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


little  joke,  immediately  produced  the  deadly  tin,  col- 
lecting upon  the  ground  the  four  cups  belonging  to  the 
strikers.  Taking  my  instructions,  he  poured  some  four 
ounces  of  the  sickening  oil  into  each  cup  — and  perhaps 
a little  more.  I handed  a cup  to  each  man  and  saw  that 
he  drank  it.  They  all  eventually  did  so,  with  comic 
grimaces  and  oaths.  The  men,  I must  tell  you,  had  great 
faith  in  my  powers  as  a medicine  man.  Once  or  twice 
before  I had  cured  them  of  insignificant  ailments,  and 
whenever  I told  them  seriously  that  they  were  ill  they 
believed,  in  their  ignorance,  that  they  were  really  ill. 

This  done,  and  to  put  them  again  in  a good  temper, 
I patted  them  on  the  back  and,  handing  each  of  them  a 
fish-hook  and  a line,  sent  them  all  to  fish  in  the  river, 
saying  that  as  they  were  so  ill  I would  delay  my  departure 
until  the  afternoon. 

“ That  pool,  over  there,”  some  three  hundred  yards 
distant,  I suggested  would  be  an  excellent  place  for  them 
to  fish  in.  In  that  direction,  as  meek  as  lambs,  like  so 
many  naughty  children  they  all  went,  carrying  the  lines 
away  and  some  toucinho  (lard)  for  bait.  Alcides,  who 
was  an  enthusiastic  fisherman,  also  went  off  with  a line, 
and  had  good  sport.  He  reported  that  the  other  men  lay 
flat  on  their  backs  upon  the  rocks  most  of  the  time,  groan- 
ing and  moaning,  and  basking  in  the  sun  instead  of  fishing. 
The  castor  oil  in  any  case  had  the  desired  effect  that  the 
men  did  not  mutiny  again  for  some  time. 

We  did  not  leave  camp  until  two  p.m.  The  country 
was  teeming  with  plants  of  great  medicinal  value,  such 
as  the  sucujrira,  which  gave  a bean  much  used  in  Goyaz 
to  relieve  stomach  troubles;  the  algudanzinho , with  its 
lovely  cadmium-yellow,  cup-shaped  flower  — a plant 
which  was  most  plentiful  in  that  region,  and  the  root  of 
which  is  said  to  be  very  beneficial  for  the  worst  of  venereal 
complaints ; and  also  the  acaraiba.  Many  were  the  hand- 
some wild  flowers  we  came  across,  principally  red  and 

132 


INTERESTING  FISH 


yellow;  but  to  my  mind  they  could  bear  no  comparison 
with  even  the  ugliest  European  wild  flowers.  They  were 
coarse  in  shape  and  crude  in  colour,  and  in  their  beauty 
there  was  the  same  difference  as  there  would  be  between 
the  lovely,  refined  face  of  an  aristocratic  woman  and  that 
of  a handsome,  massive,  peasant  girl. 

Water  was  certainly  not  lacking  in  that  country.  We 
crossed  the  Rio  Striminho,  then  the  Rio  Stacco,  flowing 
from  southwest  to  northeast  into  a lagoon  formed  by  the 
Rio  Claro.  We  camped  on  the  bank  of  the  Rio  Stacco, 
and  found  the  water  delicious. 

The  negro  Filippe  killed  a wild  boar.  My  men  had 
a great  time  preparing  a huge  dinner.  They  absolutely 
gorged  themselves.  Personally  I never  touch  pig  in  any 
shape  or  form,  as  I cannot  get  over  the  idea  that  its 
meat  is  poisonous  for  any  thoroughly  healthy  person. 
It  may,  of  course,  not  be  so  to  people  who  are  not  abso- 
lutely healthy.  The  very  sight  and  odour  of  it  make  me 
quite  ill,  and  I fully  share  the  idea  of  Mohamme- 
dans that  the  meat,  certainly  of  tame  pigs,  is  most 
unclean. 

As  we  went  on  we  had  good  sport,  my  men  taking  the 
greatest  delight  in  fishing  in  the  rivers  on  the  banks  of 
which  we  halted.  The  travelling  was  easy  over  flat 
country.  We  made  short  marches  for  some  days,  in  order 
to  let  the  animals  recover  their  lost  strength.  In  the 
river  Las  Almas  (elevation  1,250  feet),  20  metres  wide 
and  3 feet  deep,  flowing  northwest,  we  caught  a beautiful 
pintado  fish,  so  called  because  of  its  spotted  appearance. 
That  fish  possessed  a huge,  flat  head,  with  long  feelers, 
two  on  the  nose,  at  the  side  of  the  nostrils,  to  be  accurate, 
two  under  its  lower  mandible.  The  mouth  was  enormous 
in  comparison  with  the  total  length  of  the  fish,  and  could 
be  opened  at  an  extraordinarily  wide  angle.  Inside  were 
most  peculiar  teeth  in  sets  of  twos,  while  the  mouth  was 
lined  with  thousands  of  hard,  tiny,  sharp  points.  The 

133 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


eyes  were  far  back  upon  the  skull.  The  bony  dome  of  the 
palate  was  divided  in  the  centre,  and  a similar  separation 
was  to  be  observed  in  the  centre  of  the  lower  jaw,  giving 
thus  a great  flexibility  to  the  interior  of  the  mouth.  When 
measured,  the  length  of  the  head  was  exactly  one-third 
of  the  length  of  the  entire  fish. 

Other  fish,  too,  were  caught  that  day,  called 
viandibe  or  fidalgo. 

The  aspect  of  the  country  was  gradually  changing. 
During  that  day’s  march  we  had  gone  over  beautiful, 
open  stretches  of  grassy  land,  with  only  a few  stunted 
trees  upon  them.  Bosquets  or  tufts  of  small  palms  or 
other  trees  were  to  be  seen,  raised  on  small  mounds, 
showing  how  the  country  was  gradually  wearing  itself 
down.  Nearly  every  tree  was  raised  on  a mound  of  grey 
clay.  Some  fine  specimens  of  Lexia  trees,  with  their 
peculiarly  distorted  branches,  were  to  be  observed. 

Those  great  scavengers  of  Brazil,  the  XJrubu,  of 
which  two  varieties  were  to  be  found,  the  Urubu  commun 
( Cathartes  atratus)  and  the  Urubu  rei  ( Cathartes  Papa) , 
a cross  between  a vulture  and  a crow,  were  fairly  plentiful 
now  that  game  was  more  abundant  in  the  country.  They 
often  pierced  our  ears  with  their  unmusical  shrieks.  The 
urubu  belonged  to  the  vulture  family  and  was  found  in  all 
tropical  South  America.  It  had  black  plumage,  some- 
what shaggy,  with  reddish  legs  and  feet,  and  bluish,  almost 
naked,  head  and  neck.  Like  all  rapacious  birds  of  its  kind, 
it  lived  entirely  on  dead  animals  and  what  refuse  it  could 
find  about  the  country.  Near  farms  these  birds  were 
generally  to  be  seen  in  great  numbers. 

We  had  a delicious  breakfast  of  fish  — really  excel- 
lent eating  — which  set  everybody  in  a good  humour,  and 
then  we  proceeded  over  slight  undulations  (elevation 
1,250  to  1,300  feet)  through  forest  until  we  got  to  the 
Ponte  Alto  (High  Bridge)  River,  so  called  because  — 
there  is  no  bridge  whatever  there!  The  Brazilians  are 

131 


THE  ARAGUAYA  RIVER  (LOOKING  NORTH). 


THE  ARAGUAYA  RIVER  (LOOKING  SOUTH). 


CA RAJA  INDIAN  OF  THE  UPPER  ARAGUAYA  RIVER. 


ANT-HILLS 


really  too  delightful  in  their  reasoning;  and,  mind  you, 
it  is  not  done  with  a mischievous  sense  of  the  ludicrous  — 
indeed,  no;  it  is  done  seriously.  The  Ponte  Alto  stream 
was,  like  most  of  the  other  watercourses  of  that  region, 
wonderfully  limpid. 

From  that  point  we  were  in  charming  open  country, 
where  we  could  freely  breathe  the  delicious  air.  Occa- 
sionally we  saw  some  angelin  trees  (the  Angelino  amar- 
goso  and  Angelino  pedra ),  technically  known  as  Andira 
vermifuga  M.  and  Andira  spectabilis  Said. 

Nearly  all  the  woods  we  found  had  a high  specific 
gravity:  the  two  latter,  for  instance,  0.984  and  1.052 
respectively,  and  a resistance  to  crushing  of  kilos.  0.684 
and  kilos.  0.648. 

Cacti  of  great  size  were  numerous.  We  were  now  in  a 
region  where  termite-hills  (ant-hills)  were  to  be  seen  in 
great  numbers.  They  stood  from  two  to  three  feet  above 
ground,  although  occasionally  some  could  be  seen  nearly 
double  that  height.  Some  of  the  ant-heaps  were  extraor- 
dinary in  their  architecture,  and  resembled  miniature 
castles  with  towers  and  terraced  platforms.  Whether  they 
had  been  built  so  by  the  ants  or  worn  down  to  that  shape 
by  the  pouring  rain  and  wind,  was  not  so  easy  to  tell. 

The  more  one  saw  of  the  termites,  the  more  one 
disliked  them,  for  they  were  the  most  insidious,  destructive 
little  brutes  of  that  region.  They  were  ugly  in  appear- 
ance, with  their  fat  bodies  of  a dirty,  greenish-white  colour. 
Nevertheless  one  could  not  help  having  great  admiration 
for  those  little  rascals,  which  in  one  night  were  able  to 
devour  the  bottom  of  stout  wooden  boxes,  and  in  a few 
hours  damaged  saddles,  clothes,  shoes,  or  any  article  which 
happened  to  be  left  resting  for  a little  while  on  the  ground. 
They  were  even  able  to  make  an  entire  house  tumble  down 
in  a comparatively  short  time,  if  the  material  used  in  the 
construction  were  wood. 

One  hated  them;  yet,  when  one  knew  all  about  them, 

135 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


one  had  to  spend  hours  watching  their  actions  with  a 
microscope,  it  was  so  interesting.  They  seemed  to  have 
two  social  classes  among  them,  the  labouring  class  and  the 
warriors.  To  the  labourers  was  given  the  heavy  task  of 
digging  underground  channels,  the  surplus  earth  of  which 
was  thrown  up  with  great  force  through  apertures  in  the 
soil  until  the  earth  so  displaced  and  amassed  formed  a 
high  heap,  riddled  in  its  interior  by  hundreds  of  channels 
and  miniature  chambers  and  aj:>artments.  To  the  war- 
riors, really  more  like  a kind  of  perfect  police  service,  was 
entrusted  the  safety  of  the  colony  and  principally  the 
protection  of  the  young.  White  ants  have  many  enemies, 
especially  among  the  larger  ants,  which  carry  on  regular 
wars  against  them;  for  although  ants  and  termites,  com- 
monly called  white  ants,  have  many  points  in  common, 
yet  they  belong  to  totally  different  orders  of  insects,  as 
can  be  easily  noticed  in  their  structure  and  development. 
The  peculiar  structure  of  the  enlarged  heads  of  the  war- 
rior termites  was  particularly  noticeable.  Some  had  a 
formidable  head  provided  with  tentacles  and  powerful 
rodent  clippers,  as  well  as  the  peculiar  whitish  cuirasses 
in  sections  of  the  body.  The  workers  had  more  normal 
shapes,  the  head  being  better  proportioned  with  the 
body. 

It  was  enough  to  split  one  of  the  heaps  and  watch 
the  termites  at  work  to  learn  a lesson  of  what  devotion 
and  duty  mean.  In  the  many  passages  overcrowded 
with  ants  — there  was  never  confusion  — you  saw  hun- 
dreds of  them,  either  conveying  food  or  building  materials 
to  the  various  quarters.  Some  carried  leaves,  others  car- 
ried pieces  of  wood,  seeds,  or  dead  insects.  If  one  was 
not  strong  enough  to  convey  its  load,  others  came  to  its 
assistance,  although  they  generally  seemed  to  resent  the 
help  of  others  in  doing  their  work.  I always  noticed  that 
when  one  was  in  difficulty  and  others  ran  to  the  rescue 
there  generally  ensued  what  seemed  to  be  a row,  and  the 

136 


THE  LIFE  OF  TERMITES 


new  arrivals  hurriedly  left,  either  disgusted  or  angry,  I 
could  not  tell  which  by  their  minute  expression. 

Then  there  were  extraordinary  fat  lady  ants,  lying 
flat  upon  their  backs,  and  with  many  attendants  around 
them  doing  massage  and  general  nursing  with  the  greatest 
possible  gentleness  and  care.  If  one  wanted  to  see  a 
great  commotion,  one  had  only  to  introduce  into  one  of 
the  chambers  a larger  ant  of  a different  kind.  What 
struck  me  was  that  the  moment  the  fray  was  over,  the 
termites  at  once,  if  perhaps  a little  more  excitedly, 
resumed  their  work. 

What  astonished  me  more  than  anything  was  that 
they  would  go  on  working  as  if  nothing  had  happened, 
when  I split  open  one  of  their  dwellings,  when  many  of 
the  channels,  which  must  have  been  normally  in  the  dark, 
were  then  exposed  to  the  light.  This  made  me  suspect 
that  their  vision  was  either  missing  altogether  or  was  very 
defective. 

Nature  is  a wonderful  organizer.  The  majority  of 
termites,  including  warriors  and  workers,  were  sexless; 
that  was  perhaps  why  they  were  such  good  workers,  as 
they  had  nothing  to  distract  them.  The  males  and  females 
whose  duty  was  merely  to  propagate  and  improve  the 
race  were  provided  temporarily  with  wings,  so  that  they 
could  fly  away  from  the  colony  and  disseminate  their  love 
among  other  winged  termites  of  other  colonies.  The  re- 
lation between  different  colonies  was  friendly.  When 
their  task  was  accomplished  and  flight  was  no  more  neces- 
sary for  them,  they  conveniently  and  voluntarily  shed  their 
wings,  leaving  merely  a small  section  of  the  wing  root 
attached  to  the  thorax. 

The  local  name  for  all  kinds  of  termites  was  cupim, 
but  technically  they  are  known  in  the  order  Neorop- 
tera  as  Termes  album.  Another  variety  of  insect,  the 
Psocus  domesticus,  was  also  as  destructive  as  the  Termes 
album. 


137 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


We  frequently  met  with  plants  of  caju  or  acaju  or 
acajueiro  ( Anacardium  Occidentale  L.),  on  our  course. 
They  belonged  to  the  Terebintliacece  group.  In  a pre- 
ceding chapter  I have  already  described  the  red  or 
yellow  delicious  fruit  of  this  tree.  Then  we  found  other 
interesting  trees,  such  as  the  oleo,  the  tall  and  handsome 
poinna,  and  numerous  specimens  of  the  small  but  good- 
looking  palm  pindova. 

There  were  not  many  flowers  in  that  particular  spot, 
barring  perhaps  an  occasional  cluster  of  white  flowers, 
principally  bocca  de  carneiro,  said  to  have  properties 
refreshing  for  the  blood. 

Near  a small  stream  I noticed  some  lovely,  slender, 
tall  jeguitiba  vermellio  trees  ( Couratari  estrellensis 
Raddi),  from  75  to  80  feet  high,  with  branches  and 
clusters  of  deep  green,  healthy  leaves  at  the  summit  only. 

There  was  a little  less  monotony  in  the  scenery  before 
us  that  day,  for  to  the  west  stood,  over  a long,  slightly 
undulating  line,  one  peculiar,  conical  hill  heavily  wooded. 
In  pools  of  stagnant  water  were  lovely  water  flowers,  and 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  that  moisture  many  handsome 
burity  palms  were  prominent  in  the  landscape. 

We  had  been  mounting  gently  all  the  time  from  our 
last  camp.  Early  in  the  afternoon  we  reached  that  mag- 
nificent river,  the  Araguaya,  over  200  yards  wide,  although 
something  like  between  2,500  and  3,000  kilometres,  or 
perhaps  more,  from  its  mouth.  Its  lovely,  placid  waters, 
reflecting  with  the  faithfulness  of  a mirror  the  vegetation 
on  the  high  steep  banks  as  well  as  the  clouds  in  the  sky, 
made  an  effective  picture.  The  dead  silence,  disturbed 
only  by  the  shouts  of  my  men  as  they  urged  the  mules 
to  the  water-side,  was  most  impressive,  the  water  flowing 
so  slowly  that  it  almost  looked  stagnant. 

Not  a mountain,  not  a hill  could  be  perceived,  except 
one  low,  humble  range  of  hills  to  the  south.  It  was  on 
those  hills  that  the  great  Araguaya  had  its  birth. 

138 


THE  GREAT  ARAGUAYA  RIVER 


We  crossed  the  great  stream,  mules,  baggage,  and  all, 
in  three  canoes,  upon  which  a platform  had  been  erected. 
Once  landed  on  its  western  bank,  we  were,  notwithstand- 
ing local  boundary  quarrels,  in  the  immense.  State  of 
Matto  Grosso,  the  wildest  of  Brazil. 


139 


CHAPTER  XI 


The  Tucano  — Fish  of  the  Araguaya  River  — A Bad  Shot  — 

A Strajmge  Sight 

I SEEMED  to  have  no  luck  on  that  journey.  Every- 
thing went  wrong  all  the  time.  Everything  seemed  to 
stand  in  my  way  to  prevent  my  progress.  My  men 
were  demoralized,  my  mules  and  horses  in  a pitiable  condi- 
tion. I called  a halt  of  two  or  three  days  in  order  that  we 
might  shoe  the  animals  again  and  rearrange  the  pack- 
saddles.  We  had,  of  course,  a good  supply  of  new  shoes, 
but  the  work  of  shoeing  so  many  animals  was  hard, 
especially  as  I had  to  do  most  of  it  myself,  with  Alcides 
and  Filippe,  the  other  men  being  absolutely  useless.  Add 
to  this  a stifling  temperature  of  90°  Fahrenheit. 

To  make  things  worse  there  came  a downpour  such 
as  I have  seldom  seen,  and  which  lasted  for  two  entire 
days.  That  was  the  dry  season,  too!  The  house  in 
which  we  had  put  up,  and  through  the  roof  of  which  we 
could  admire  the  stars  at  our  ease  while  in  bed,  was 
turned  into  a regular  swimming-tank  when  the  rain  came. 
We  had  a good  deal  of  trouble  to  keep  our  things  dry, 
propping  them  up  on  improvised  stands  of  stones  which 
we  removed  from  the  crumbling  walls  of  the  building. 
Fortunately,  most  of  my  pack-saddle  cases  were  air  and 
water  tight,  so  that  the  contents  could  not  be  injured. 
The  wind  blew  with  great  fury — at  the  rate  of  460 
metres  a minute,  to  be  strictly  accurate. 

There  was  a humble  hamlet  at  Rio  Grande  or  Porto 
do  Castanho,  on  the  Matto  Grosso  side,  where  we  had 

140 


PORTO  DO  CASTANHO 


crossed  the  Araguaya  River.  It  was  the  gloomiest  of 
gloomy  places,  even  in  glorious  weather.  Imagine  it  on  a 
wet,  windy  day.  The  few  tiny,  one-storied  cabins  — 
they  could  hardly  be  called  houses  — were  soaked  with  the 
storm  and  looked  miserable.  The  inhabitants  were  busy 
baling  water  from  inside  their  dwellings.  Many  tiles  of 
the  roofs  had  been  blown  away,  and  those  that  remained 
had  grown  extra  dark  with  the  moisture,  with  merely  a 
bluish  tinge  from  the  reflected  light  of  the  grey  sky  upon 
their  shiny  surfaces.  The  solitary  palm  tree  at  the  end  of 
the  oblong  square  looked  pitiful,  with  its  long,  bladed 
leaves  split  and  broken  by  the  wind,  while  the  dense  foliage 
along  the  river  banks  was  now  several  tones  darker  and 
richer  than  we  had  seen  it  before. 

Under  usual  circumstances  the  plaza,  or  square,  was 
so  high  above  the  river  that  one  could  not  see  the  water  at 
all,  until  one  went  to  the  edge  of  the  stream,  but  during 
flood  the  river  rose  as  much  as  20  feet  and  occasionally 
overflowed  the  greater  portion  of  the  square. 

The  grass  of  the  square  — a mere  field  — alone 
seemed  happy  in  the  damp.  Half  dried  and  anaemic  from 
the  hot  sun,  it  seemed  to  have  quickly  come  back  to  life 
and  vigour  in  those  few  hours  which  had  rendered  us  all 
miserable.  My  poor  horses  and  mules,  worn  and  sore, 
stood  dripping  and  wretched,  with  quivering  knees,  in  the 
middle  of  the  square,  too  miserable  to  feed,  only  now  and 
then  slashing  their  long,  wet  tails  to  right  or  left  to  drive 
away  impertinent  flies. 

With  the  storm  the  temperature  had  suddenly 
descended  to  75°,  and  everybody  was  shivering  with  cold 
after  the  oppressive  heat. 

Upon  the  half-rotted  wooden  cross  which  stood  in 
front  of  the  church  was  perched  a vulture,  so  thin  and 
shaggy  and  soaked  and  motionless  that  you  might  easily 
have  mistaken  it  for  a stuffed  bird.  It  was  the  very 
picture  of  misery.  But  everybody  was  miserable;  one 

141 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


could  not  help  it.  I was,  too,  who  am  not  much  given  to 
being  depressed. 

While  marching  or  camping  in  the  midst  of  unspoilt 
nature,  I never  felt  depressed,  no  matter  what  happened, 
and  was  absolutely  regardless  of  climatic  conditions;  but 
in  those  miserable  settlements,  feeble  attempts  at  civiliza- 
tion, I must  confess  that  I used  to  get  low-spirited,  too, 
and  often  thought  what  an  idiot  I had  been  to  leave  my 
happy  homes  in  Florence  and  in  London,  in  order  to 
come  to  these  wretched  places. 

After  the  attempts  at  baling  out  the  water  had  proved 
futile,  as  there  was  more  coming  in  than  it  was  possible 
to  fling  out,  the  people  in  resignation  barricaded  their 
doors  and  windows.  Not  a soul  was  to  be  seen  or  heard 
anywhere.  The  place  was  absolutely  dead.  Even  after 
the  storm  was  over,  no  sign  of  life  could  be  noticed.  The 
people  were  all  still  hiding  and  trembling  in  their  houses, 
the  comparatively  slight  but  sudden  change  in  the  tem- 
perature bringing  upon  most  of  them  attacks  of  strong 
malarial  fever,  which  was  there  prevalent. 

At  last,  splashing  her  little  naked  feet  along  the 
footpath  in  the  grass,  now  changed  into  a streamlet,  there 
approached  a little  girl  with  a face  as  black  as  coal.  She 
looked  terrified  as  she  approached  the  window  out  of 
which  I was  looking.  But  she  overcame  her  fright  and, 
prettily  stretching  out  her  tiny  hand,  called  out  “Boa 
tar  del”  (Good  afternoon).  Her  father  and  mother  were 
ill;  would  I give  her  some  medicine  for  them?  Soon 
after,  when  the  sky  had  cleared,  other  patients  came  along, 
asking  for  quinine  or  any  medicine  I could  give  them. 
Others  wished  to  have  their  teeth  pulled  out.  The 
Brazilians  of  the  interior  had  great  trouble  with  their  teeth, 
which  were  usually  in  a state  of  decay. 

My  own  men  had  wrapped  themselves  up  in  their 
blankets  in  order  to  keep  warm.  They  had  slept  most 
of  the  time.  They  were  too  cold  and  lazy  even  to  get  up  to 

142 


A HEAVY  STORM 


cook  and  eat  their  food.  None  of  the  houses  possessed  a 
chimney,  cooking  being  done  outside ; nor,  of  course,  were 
there  any  sanitary  arrangements.  Those  of  my  men  who 
had  toothache  cried  and  moaned  the  whole  night,  as  might 
be  expected  of  children  aged  six  of  any  other  country.  I 
have  seldom  seen  men  more  sensitive  and  frightened  at 
pain  or  illness. 

The  main  structure  at  Porto  do  Castanho  (Port  of 
the  Chestnut  Tree,  because  there  should  be  a chestnut 
tree  there)  was  the  church,  a mere  barn,  which  elsewhere 
but  in  Central  Brazil  would  not  be  considered  good  enough 
for  storing  hay,  still  less  for  the  worship  of  the  Almighty. 
Not  that  it  was  used  much  for  the  latter  purpose,  as 
there  was  no  priest  within  several  hundred  kilometres. 
The  walls  of  the  church  were  all  scraped  and  dirty,  the 
corners  chipped  off  by  passing  animals.  All  the  passers-by 
went  and  wiped  their  dirty  hands  on  the  walls  of  the 
church,  perhaps  attracted  by  the  whitewash,  which  none  of 
the  other  buildings  possessed. 

The  shops  — there  were  two  — had  nothing  for  sale, 
except  some  locally  grown  tobacco.  In  one  shop  I found 
some  small  iron  nails,  which  were  sold  at  the  equivalent 
of  6d.  each! 

May  eleventh.  The  drenching  rain  continued  the 
entire  night,  the  minimum  temperature  being  73° 
Fahrenheit.  My  poor  animals  were  in  a terrible  condition 
the  next  morning  through  the  damp,  the  sores  having  be- 
come badly  infected.  They  were  in  a purulent  condition, 
and  contained  a mass  of  maggots,  the  terrible  bishus, 
which  were  the  pest  of  Brazil.  So  we  had  the  great  job 
of  cleaning  them  all  with  a powerful  disinfectant  as  well 
as  washing  them  with  a decoction  of  warm  barbatimdo 
( S try plinodendron  barbatimdo  INI.),  a wood  with  a great 
resistance  to  crushing  (K.  1.015)  and  a specific  gravity 
of  1.275.  The  decoction,  which  was  really  very  beneficial 
for  wounds  and  sores  of  animals,  was  made  with  the  bark 

113 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


of  that  tree  warmed  in  water  over  a fire.  Another  de- 
coction we  frequently  used  was  of  salt  and  carrapicho 
herb,  but  this  was  not  quite  so  effective  as  the  former. 

My  men  killed  a magnificent  tucano,  a large  bird  with 
climbing,  inquisitive  habits.  It  possessed  an  enormous 
yellow  bill  of  singularly  light  structure,  the  point  of  which 
was  black.  The  lower  part  of  the  bill  was  of  a brilliant 
red,  and  of  a similar  red  was  the  rib  of  the  upper  part 
of  the  bill.  The  plumage  was  of  a handsome  velvety  black 
on  the  body  and  tail,  which  was  quite  shiny,  while  the 
chest  was  of  a pure  white,  and  the  under  part  of  the  tail 
of  bright  vermilion  feathers.  White  feathers  showed  at 
the  base  of  the  tail  above. 

The  tucano  ( Ramphastos ) is  too  well  known  for  me 
to  describe  it  fully  again.  It  is  found  all  over  tropical 
Brazil.  There  are  many  different  varieties,  such  as 
the  Ramphastos  vitellinus,  Ramphastos  ariel,  the  Ram- 
phastos Cuvieri,  the  Pteroglossus  Beauharnaisii,  or  curl- 
crested  tucano,  etc.,  extremely  common,  especially  farther 
north,  near  the  borders  of  the  Amazon. 

I was  sorry  when  my  men  killed  this  beautiful  bird. 
I had  watched  it  for  some  time,  as  it  hopped  from  branch 
to  branch,  dipping  its  bill  into  cavities  and  examining 
everything  that  happened  below  by  bending  its  head 
attentively,  now  on  one  side  then  on  the  other,  in  ac- 
cordance with  its  inquisitive  habits.  It  evidently  took 
intelligent  interest  in  our  doings.  My  men  had  gone  out 
to  do  their  cooking.  The  bird  watched  them  with  the 
greatest  attention  — with  jerky  movements  not  unlike 
those  of  a magpie. 

The  tucanos  have,  I believe,  been  described  as  stupid; 
but  on  the  contrary  I think  they  are  extremely  clever, 
quite  as  clever  as  many  parrots  or  macaws.  I observed 
how  shrewd  that  particular  bird  was.  It  would  come 
quite  close  to  us,  and  examine  with  really  amazing  atten- 
tion what  we  were  doing  as  long  as  we  were  not  taking 
any  notice  of  it,  but  the  moment  a man  happened  to  touch 

144 


THE  TUCANO 


a stone  or  try  to  point  a rifle  at  it,  it  would  fly  a long 
distance  off,  with  shrill  yelps,  and  would  not  return  until 
it  was  quite  sure  that  we  were  not  noticing  its  presence. 

The  uses  of  the  enormous  bill  of  the  tucano  have  often 
been  discussed  by  ornithologists,  many  of  whom  believe 
that  the  bill  is  of  no  use  to  that  bird,  and  that  Nature 
made  in  this  case  a mistake  and  has  not  yet  had  time 
to  rectify  it.  Scientists  frequently  allege  that  Nature 
makes  mistakes,  because  many  of  them  have  never  really 
understood  Nature.  How  could  they?  They  have  never 
been  near  enough  to  Nature  unspoiled.  Many  of  them 
also  believe  that  tucano  birds  are  great  fishers,  following 
the  notion  that  many  water  birds  have  red  or  yellow  bills 
of  large  size.  That,  too,  is  another  great  mistake,  for 
the  tucano  is  eminently  a fruit  and  nut  eater,  and  of  course 
a feeder  on  worms  and  insects  contained  in  fruit. 

The  huge  bill,  attaining  the  length  of  six  or  seven 
inches,  is  toothed  at  the  sides  in  order  to  saw  the  stems  of 
fruit.  The  shape  and  size  of  the  bill,  far  from  being  a 
mistake  of  Nature,  are  made  so  in  order  to  enable  that 
bird  to  dig  holes  into  the  bark  of  trees  and  to  enable  it  to 
crush  and  chew  the  many  curiously  shaped  fruits  found 
in  certain  parts  of  the  Brazilian  forest.  Moreover,  the 
bill  is  also  a great  protection  to  the  head  in  going  through 
the  dense  foliage,  where  thorns  are  innumerable  and  alive 
with  dangerous  insects  of  great  size,  which,  owing  to  the 
length  of  its  beak,  can  be  destroyed  at  a distance  from 
the  bird’s  most  vital  organs. 

These  birds  have  received  the  name  “ tucano  ” from 
the  noise  they  make,  which  resembles  toh-kan  ” very 
sharply  pronounced  and  with  a snap  at  the  end  of  each 
syllable. 

The  tucanos  are  good  climbers,  but  not  good  fliers. 
In  fact,  their  flight  is  somewhat  clumsy  and  heavy,  and 
they  seldom  fly  long  distances.  They  spend  all  their  time 
on  the  higher  branches  of  trees.  They  are  generally  to  be 

vol.  i.  — 10  145 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


seen  alone  or  in  couples,  or  perhaps  occasionally  in  flocks 
of  three  or  four. 

What  spare  moments  I had  in  Castanho,  after  the 
storm  was  over,  I spent  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  gazing 
at  the  magnificent  stream. 

Looking  south,  a low  hill  range  could  be  seen  in  the 
distance,  with  a conical  summit  rising  slightly  above  the 
range  — the  Serra  do  Cavapo.  It  was  there,  as  I have 
said,  that  the  great  Araguaya  had  its  birth.  It  was  inter- 
esting to  note  that  the  head  waters  of  the  Araguaya, 
flowing  north,  of  course,  had  their  birth  within  an  infini- 
tesimal distance  of  those  of  two  such  immense  rivers  as 
the  Inducassu  and  the  Sucuru,  flowing  into  the  Parana, 
and  also  near  the  somewhat  unknown  Taquary  River, 
flowing  into  the  Paraguay. 

It  would  be  possible,  although  perhaps  expensive,  by 
means  of  raised  artificial  lakes  and  locks,  actually  to  join 
at  least  one  of  these  southern  great  rivers  to  the  great 
Araguaya,  and  thus,  barring  some  troublesome  rapids, 
form  a continuous  waterway  from  south  to  north  across 
South  America,  from  Buenos  Aires,  roughly  in  latitude 
34°  5'  south,  to  Para,  in  latitude  1°  27'  6"  south.  Imagine 
a distance  by  river  extending  for  33°  37'  54"  (or  3,737 
kilometres)  in  a straight  line,  as  the  crow  flies,  and  not 
less  than  double  that  distance  if  we  include  the  constant 
turns  and  deviations  in  the  various  connected  rivers. 

Easier  still  and  less  expensive  it  would  be  to  connect 
by  rail  the  last  two  navigable  points  of  those  two  streams. 
That  will  certainly  be  done  some  day,  when  those  aban- 
doned regions  are  eventually  popidated  and  properly 
developed. 

There  were  some  rocky  falls  just  below  Porto 
Castanho  which  prevented  navigation  as  far  as  the  place 
where  we  crossed  the  Araguaya;  otherwise  the  river  was 
navigable  from  those  falls  as  far  as  Conceicao. 

The  formation  of  the  clouds  over  the  great  Araguaya 

146 


EXCELLENT  FISHING 


River  was  peculiar.  Great  clusters  of  globular  clouds 
generally  collected  in  three  distinct  strata  upon  a whitish 
sky  extending  high  up  on  the  sky  vault. 

Facing  north,  the  country  appeared  absolutely  flat, 
and  nothing  coidd  be  seen  above  the  trees  as  far  as  the 
eye  or  even  a telescope  could  perceive.  In  that  direction 
the  stream,  200  yards  wide,  flowed  through  a perfectly 
straight  channel  for  about  one  mile. 

The  fishing  in  the  river  was  excellent.  One  night  we 
caught  a quantity  of  fish,  — one,  a huge  pirarara  weighing 
40  pounds,  then  some  pirahiba  and  a pintado,  the  latter 
24  pounds  in  weight.  The  pirarara  was  an  extraordinary- 
looking fish.  It  had  a long  head  covered  entirely  with 
a hard,  bony,  granular  substance,  which  could  be  cracked 
only  by  a severe  blow  with  an  axe.  The  eyes  were 
prominent  and  placed  quite  close  to  abnormally  long 
antennse  or  feelers.  The  back  of  the  pirarara  was  bluish 
black,  the  centre  of  the  body  longitudinally  was  yellowish, 
whereas  the  under  part  was  white.  The  tail  was  of  a 
bright  vermilion,  and  the  black  fins  had  red  edges,  which 
made  the  huge  pirarara  a really  beautiful  fish  to  look  at. 

The  pirahiba  had  a grey  back  with  stripes  so  faint  that 
they  were  hardly  visible.  Its  head  was  flat  and  anchor- 
shaped. The  eyes,  very  small,  were  curiously  situated  on 
the  top  of  the  head  instead  of  at  the  sides,  owing  to  the 
fact  that  the  head  was  really  so  flat  that  it  had  no  sides: 
it  was  merely  a gentle  convex  curve  from  one  side  of  the 
mouth  to  the  other,  over  the  skull.  The  pirahiba  too,  like 
most  fish  of  those  rivers,  possessed  long  tentacles.  Its 
mouth  and  fins  were  slightly  tinted  red.  It  displayed 
powerful  teeth  similarly  arranged  to  those  of  the  pintado 
fish  previously  described. 

Then  we  got  some  tubarao  (or  Squalus  carcharias),  a 
small  fish  with  a long,  pointed  head  like  a bird’s  beak,  of 
the  plagiostomos  order,  and  several  mandi  — a small 
yellow  fish  with  enormous  eyes.  The  mandi  had  remark- 

147 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


able  vitality.  Seven  hours  after  it  had  been  caught  — I 
had  no  idea  the  poor  thing  was  still  alive  — it  gave  several 
leaps  in  the  air,  and  when  I put  it  in  a bucket  of  water,  it 
shortly  began  to  swim  as  if  nothing  had  happened. 

There  were  only  two  or  three  very  small  dug-outs  on 
the  Araguaya,  none  of  which  were  capable  of  carrying 
more  than  one  or  two  people.  There  was  no  boat  there 
large  enough  to  carry  all  my  men  and  baggage,  had  I 
even  at  that  moment  decided  to  descend  that  river  instead 
of  proceeding  west.  I took  observations  for  latitude  and 
longitude  at  Porto  Castanho,  as  well  as  boiling-point 
observations  with  the  hypso-metrical  apparatus,  the  latter 
in  order  to  get  the  exact  elevation,  and  also  to  keep  a check 
on  my  several  aneroids,  which  I used  on  the  journey 
merely  for  differential  observations. 

May  9,  1910.  Boiling  point,  210°  3'  Fahrenheit. 
Temperature  of  the  air,  83°  Fahrenheit  = 1,182  feet 
above  the  sea  level.  By  aneroid,  1,190  feet. 

My  mules  having  had  a good  rest,  I was  making  ready 
to  start  on  May  twelfth,  when  one  of  my  men  refused  to 
come  any  farther.  He  wished  to  be  paid  off  and  go.  So 
he  received  his  pay  and  went.  He  would  probably  end  his 
existence  in  that  filthy  little  hamlet,  for  he  would  never 
have  the  energy  to  return  to  Goyaz  alone.  I was  rather 
glad  he  had  gone,  as,  a few  nights  previously,  he  had  fired 
at  me  while  I was  asleep.  The  bullet  had  actually  made 
a hole  through  the  canvas  of  my  camp  bed.  I had 
fortunately  taken  the  precaution  to  alter  the  position  of 
my  bed  under  my  tent  — a precaution  I took  every  night, 
after  my  men  had  gone  to  sleep  in  their  hammocks,  some 
distance  outside.  The  man  had  evidently  aimed  where 
he  thought  my  head  was  resting.  As  I had  turned  the 
bed  around,  the  bullet,  fired  from  the  man  standing,  went 
just  over  my  ankles,  perforating  the  canvas  quite  close  to 
them.  I naturally  came  out  of  my  tent  to  see  what  was 
the  matter,  and  saw  the  man  with  the  rifle  in  his  hand. 

148 


INDISCRIMINATE  FIRING 


“Why  did  you  shoot?”  I inquired,  as  the  man,  evi- 
dently surprised  to  see  me  standing  before  him,  ejaculated 
disconnected  words. 

“ I saw  a huge  onga  ” (a  jaguar)  . . . “ it  was  there 
. . . I saw  its  two  eyes  shining  like  fire  . . 

“ Did  you  kill  the  onga?  ” 

“ No,  it  leapt  away.” 

I advised  the  man,  patting  him  paternally  on  the  back, 
not  to  startle  everybody  again.  If  he  should  see  another 
onga,  he  had  better  come  to  me.  I seldom  missed  when 
I fired  at  all,  as  I had  been  able  to  show  them  a few  days 
before.  I did  not  wish  my  men  to  behave  like  so  many 
timid  young  girls,  as  I wished  to  be  able  to  tell  people 
in  Europe  that  Brazilians  were  brave  and  noble. 

“ Firing  in  such  a fashion  indiscriminately,”  I ex- 
plained to  him,  “ you  might  have  even  killed  one  of  your 
companions!  Now  go  to  sleep  like  a good  fellow,  and  do 
not  fire  again ! ” 

I spoke  to  the  rascal  in  the  gentlest  of  ways,  never  for 
one  moment  letting  him  suspect  that  I knew  he  had 
intended  that  bullet  to  go  through  my  head.  Nor  did  I 
ever  take  any  of  the  other  men  into  my  confidence.  When 
they  asked  what  the  commotion  was  about,  I told  them 
that  their  companion  had  fired  at  a jaguar,  and  the  jaguar 
had  leapt  away.  There  is  only  one  effective  weapon  you 
can  use  with  scoundrels.  It  is  the  greatest  calm  and 
kindness. 

The  man,  hiding  his  face  in  his  hands,  threw  himself 
upon  his  hammock  and  began  to  sob.  He  sobbed  and 
sobbed  and  sobbed  until  the  morning,  much  to  the  incon- 
venience of  everybody  in  camp.  At  sunrise  he  had  been 
seized  with  a severe  attack  of  rheumatism,  which  had 
contracted  a leg  badly.  It  was  pitiful  to  see  him  walking 
— but  when  he  was  not  aware  of  being  looked  at,  he 
walked  as  well  as  anybody  else. 

From  that  day  that  fellow  never  dared  look  me 

149 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


straight  in  the  face.  He  avoided  riding  near  me  on  the 
march,  and  in  camp  was  sulky  and  unpleasant,  retiring 
to  a distance  and  declining  to  work.  He  was  relieved  of 
the  functions  of  cook.  The  last  meal  he  had  produced 
nearly  brought  massacre  upon  him  at  the  hands  of  the 
other  men. 

He  received  his  full  pay  up  to  date,  without  uttering 
a word  of  thanks.  He  duly  signed  a receipt  with  his 
thumb-mark,  as  he  was  unable  to  write.  When  the  troop 
of  horses  and  mules  and  his  companions  left,  he  never 
spoke  a word  of  farewell  to  his  companions  or  animals,  or 
to  me.  He  sat  silent  and  motionless,  with  his  eyes  riveted 
to  the  ground  as  if  in  a trance.  Some  days  later  we 
discovered  that  he  had  stolen  from  our  store  some  forty 
pounds  of  coffee  and  a large  quantity  of  sugar,  as  well  as 
a number  of  other  articles  which  had  been  useful  to  us. 

The  sky  when  we  left  was  overcast,  and  huge, 
globular  clouds,  white  and  grey,  hung  in  great  masses, 
especially  half  way  up  the  vault  of  the  sky.  The 
country,  after  crossing  the  Araguaya,  was  remarkably 
beautiful,  from  an  agricultural  point  of  view:  enormous 
campos  or  prairies  over  rich  alluvial  deposits,  with  scanty 
stunted  trees  upon  them.  Plenty  of  burity  palms  grew 
in  the  lower  depressions. 

My  men  suffered  intensely  from  the  cold  at  night, 
the  minimum  being  60°  Fahrenheit,  maximum  92°,  in  the 
afternoon  of  the  thirteenth.  The  temperature  had  been 
much  lower  since  we  had  crossed  the  great  river.  The 
elevation  was  only  1,250  feet. 

Rising  slowly  over  an  undulation  in  the  country  to 
1,300  feet,  we  began  to  find  igneous  rock  showing  through 
the  surface  soil,  especially  on  the  higher  points. 

Lima  ( Nephelium  Litclii  Carab),  caraiba,  and  the 
laranjeira  do  campo  ( Citrus  vulgaris),  were  trees  to  be 
seen  in  that  region. 

We  had  wonderfully  clear  sky  in  the  morning.  At 

150 


TYPICAL  FLAT-TOPPED  PLATEAU  OF  CENTRAL  BRAZIL. 


ONE  NIGHT  S FISHING  ON  THE  ARAGUAYA. 


THE  PAKEDaOZINIIO. 


TYPICAL  SCENERY  OF  MATTO  GROSSO, 


TROUBLESOME  INSECTS 


noon  it  became  slightly  clouded,  while  in  the  afternoon 
one  third  of  the  sky  was  covered.  A light  breeze  blew 
from  the  west. 

Some  twenty-eight  kilometres  from  the  Araguaya  we 
came  to  a small,  miserable  farmhouse.  After  a great  deal 
of  bargaining,  I was  able  to  purchase  extra  horses.  The 
people  had  no  idea  whatever  of  the  value  of  money,  and 
named  sums  at  first  which  would  have  easily  purchased 
the  finest  horses  on  the  English  turf.  They  descended  in 
time  to  more  reasonable  figures. 

Our  life  was  rendered  miserable  all  day  by  the 
millions  of  pium  or  gnats  that  swarmed  around  us  and 
stung  us  with  incredible  fierceness  and  viciousness.  The 
itching  was  most  trying.  Those  little  brutes  left  on  our 
skins  black  marks  fully  as  large  as  themselves,  wherever 
they  stung  us.  Those  marks  remained  for  several  weeks, 
and  disappeared  only  when  we  perforated  them  with  a 
needle  to  let  the  blood  out,  or  waited  long  enough  for  them 
to  become  desiccated  and  the  skin  re-formed. 

Pium  is  a word  of  the  Tupi  and  Tupinamba  Indians’ 
language.  Those  tiny  insects  entered  your  eyes,  leaving 
behind  an  odoriferous  acid  which  caused  great  irritation 
of  the  lids.  We  removed  dozens  every  day  from  our  eyes. 
Fortunately  they  were  easily  extracted.  They  also  dashed 
into  your  ears,  up  your  nose,  and,  whenever  you  opened  it, 
inside  your  mouth. 

It  was  well  worth  going  to  JMatto  Grosso  to  enjoy 
the  lovely  moonlight  nights,  only  comparable  in  their 
luminous  splendour  to  nights  of  Central  Africa  in  the 
middle  of  the  Sahara  desert,  and  to  those  on  the  high 
Tibetan  plateau  in  Asia.  The  light  of  the  moon  was  so 
vivid  that  one  could  see  almost  as  well  as  in  the  daytime. 

Personally,  the  crisp,  cool  air  (minimum  59°  Fahren- 
heit) made  me  feel  in  most  excellent  health  and  spirits, 
but  my  men,  who  had  putrid  constitutions,  were  a mass  of 
aches  and  pains.  Some  cried  like  children  the  entire  night 

151 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


with  toothache,  moaning  and  shrieking  like  lunatics  when 
the  pain  became  acute;  others  suffered  with  internal 
aches,  another  had  cramp  in  the  legs.  I must  say  that 
Alcides,  with  all  his  faults,  was  the  only  one  who  always 
did  his  work  — not  always  with  common  sense,  but  he 
did  it  — and,  when  ill,  never  gave  exhibitions  of  pitiful 
weakness  like  the  others. 

Filippe,  the  negro,  who  eventually  showed  himself  to 
be  the  bravest  Brazilian  on  that  expedition,  also  stood  the 
pain  more  calmly  and  with  manliness.  As  I had  judged 
from  the  first  moment  I had  laid  eyes  upon  them,  those 
were  really  the  only  two  men  who  were  any  good  at  all. 
“II  bon  di  si  vede  dal  mattino”  (A  fine  day  is  seen  in 
the  morning),  says  an  ancient  and  very  true  Italian 
proverb ; truer,  perhaps,  in  its  philosophy  with  individuals 
than  with  the  weather. 

Many  of  my  men’s  complaints  vanished  with  the 
warmth  of  the  sun:  108°  Fahrenheit  at  one  p.m.,  with  a 
maximum  temperature  during  the  day  of  85°  in  the  shade. 

With  the  beautiful  clear  sky  and  a gentle  breeze 
blowing,  it  was  a real  delight  to  march.  Only  a slight 
whitish  mist,  always  in  horizontal  streaks,  was  to  be 
noticed  near  the  earth.  The  sky,  although  limpid,  was 
never  of  a deep  blue,  but  merely  of  a pale  cobalt.  The 
dew  was  heavy  during  the  night  and  soaked  everything, 
making  the  baggage,  the  tents  particularly,  heavy  for  the 
animals  to  carry.  We  still  kept  at  an  elevation  of  1,250 
feet,  noticing,  as  we  marched  on,  an  isolated  range  of  hills 
extending  from  northeast  to  southwest  and  showing  con- 
siderable erosion  at  its  southwesterly  terminus.  Two 
conical  hills  — one  a broken  cone  — stood  on  the  summit 
of  a flat  plateau,  the  entire  range,  as  well  as  the  summit 
of  hills,  showing  eroded  slopes  with  vertical,  wall-like 
superior  portions. 

After  leaving  the  stream  at  the  foot  of  a range  1,450 
feet  above  the  sea  level,  on  rising  over  a low  pass  I could 

152 


LAND  OF  GREAT  VALUE 


observe  to  the  northeast  of  that  range  great  blocks  of 
eruptive  rock  much  perforated,  in  which  were  embedded 
pellets  of  yellow  lava  and  of  red  and  black  baked  igneous 
rock.  On  examining  the  northeastern  end  of  the  main 
part  of  the  range,  it  was  apparent  that  what  remained 
standing  before  us  was  merely  one  half  of  a circular  crater, 
the  other  half  of  which  had  collapsed  or  had  been  blown  up 
by  volcanic  action.  The  bottom  of  the  crater  was  subse- 
quently filled  with  alluvial  deposits,  and  there  was  now 
a grassy  plain  with  a few  burity  palms.  In  the  valley 
before  us  was  ideal  pasture  land,  which  will  some  day  be 
of  great  value. 

We  crossed  two  cols  (elevation  1,550  feet)  with  a 
beautiful  plain  between.  Then  we  descended  into  a third 
lovely  valley  on  the  north  side  of  the  outer  wall  of  the 
crater.  The  grazing  was  perfect  for  the  animals. 
Clusters  of  vigorous,  healthy,  burity  palms  stood  in  great 
numbers  in  the  centre  and  at  the  sides  of  the  valley.  This 
great  valley  was  bounded  by  two  ridges  extending  in  a 
northerly  direction  — two  spurs,  as  it  were.  The  rounded, 
channelled,  outer  sides  of  the  crater  to  the  north  would 
tend  to  strengthen  the  theory  that  those  slopes  were  for- 
merly a gradual  continuation  of  the  present  inclined  valley. 
On  those  slopes  of  the  mountain  hardly  any  vegetation 
could  be  noticed,  perhaps  owing  to  the  fact  that  hard  vol- 
canic rock  existed  under  the  thin  surface  padding  of 
yellowish  earth. 

The  valley  was  buried  in  red  and  grey  lapilli  and  ashes, 
finely  broken  up  marble  cubes,  and  fragments  of  other 
forms  of  crystallized  rock. 

As  we  proceeded  from  camp  Fogasso,  the  northern 
slopes  of  the  crater  became  divided  into  huge  furrows,  the 
vertical  upper  part  of  the  crater  displaying  vivid,  rich, 
red  tones.  The  crater  was  castellated  at  the  summit,  like 
the  walls  of  a fortress. 

The  geological  formation  of  that  portion  of  the  Matto 

153 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


Grosso  plateau  interested  me  greatly.  Each  individual 
spur,  taken  separately,  showed  slopes  sometimes  abrupt, 
sometimes  well  rounded,  separated  from  the  next  spur  of 
hills  by  a V-shaped  or  angular,  or  else  a concave  hollow. 
At  the  bottom  of  those  hollows  one  did  not  find  the  slopes 
continuing  the  line  of  the  crater,  but  the  valley  was  there 
absolutely  flat  and  cut  the  line  of  the  slope  sharply.  It 
would  almost  appear  as  if  a subsidence  of  the  soil  had 
taken  place  in  that  particular  locality,  or  else  one  might 
speculate  whether  those  abrupt  hills  had  not  once  been 
the  walls  of  a subterranean  volcanic  cauldron,  the  flat 
valley,  in  which  we  were,  having  been  the  bottom  of  that 
cauldron.  What  little  rock  one  found  in  the  river  bed  in 
this  valley  showed  signs  of  having  been  exposed  to  intense 
and  prolonged  heat,  and  so  did  the  brilliant  red  summit  of 
the  hill  range,  which  was  also  of  the  deep  red,  typical  of 
hard-baked  rock. 

The  scene  which  I had  before  me  there  in  Matto 
Grosso  greatly  reminded  me  of  a similar  basin  I had  seen 
when  the  great  Bandaisan  mountain  in  Japan  was  blown 
up  by  a volcanic  explosion  and  left  merely  the  bottom 
part  of  its  gigantic  internal  cauldron  with  vertical  red 
walls  around  it.  With  the  exception  of  scanty  and  anaemic 
grass  and  a few  stunted  trees,  there  was  hardly  any 
vegetation  noticeable.  The  Fogasso  stream,  on  the  bank 
of  which  we  camped,  flowed  in  an  easterly  direction  into 
the  Araguaya. 

The  temperature  on  the  plateau  was  ideal:  minimum 
63°  Fahrenheit  during  the  night;  maximum  75°.  We 
were  at  an  elevation  of  1,450  feet. 

On  May  fifteenth  we  were  travelling  through  a valley 
over  which  must  have  once  risen  the  continuation  of  a 
range  which  stood  to  the  north  of  us.  There  were  deep 
grooves  and  corrugations  in  the  valley  in  a direction  from 
south  to  north  between  the  two  sections  of  the  now 
interrupted  range.  There  we  found  soil  of  red,  brown, 

154 


STRANGE  GEOLOGICAL  FORMATION 


and  yellow  tints,  or  else  great  stretches  of  grey  volcanic 
ashes  and  earth  mixed,  as  well  as  sharply  angular  frag- 
ments of  igneous  rock,  which  showed  that  they  had  not 
travelled  there  by  rolling  on  the  ground  or  been  propelled 
by  water. 

After  this  we  passed  close  to  another  curious  spur  of 
mountains  on  the  east,  quite  isolated  and  of  a red  vertical 
columnar  formation.  Its  summit  was  broken  up,  much 
more  so  than  that  of  the  plateau-like  range  to  the  south 
of  us,  which  we  were  following  in  a parallel  line.  The 
highest  point  of  that  range,  to  the  south,  was  wooded,  and 
so  were  the  two  conical-toj^ped  hills  which  towered  over 
it.  The  strata  where  exposed  showed  a slight  dip  to  the 
north.  We  crossed  the  range  by  two  low  cols  at  elevations 
of  1,550  feet  and  1,560  feet  respectively.  On  the  summit 
and  even  lower  upon  the  sides  of  those  cols  we  found 
huge  boulders  of  eruptive  rock,  highly  ferruginous. 
Globular  lumps,  big  and  small,  of  spattered,  smooth- 
surfaced, yellow  lava  were  to  be  found  in  myriads;  also 
many  spherical  pellets  of  ferruginous,  highly  baked  rock, 
with  innumerable  holes  produced  while  in  a state  of 
ebullition.  Some  of  the  ferruginous  rocks  had  pellets  of 
yellow  lava  firmly  embedded  in  them,  which  had  evidently 
penetrated,  while  liquid,  into  the  hollows  of  the  ferru- 
ginous rock,  which  was  already  in  a semi-solid,  or  perhaps 
solidified,  condition.  At  any  rate,  when  it  happened,  the 
ferruginous  rock  was  already  harder  than  the  lava. 

While  I was  studying  attentively  the  geological  con- 
ditions of  that  region,  the  sky  suddenly  became  as  black 
as  ink  to  the  south,  and  a heavy  shower,  which  lasted 
half  an  hour,  drenched  us  all  to  the  marrow  of  our  bones. 
Then  it  cleared  up,  and  the  sun,  supplemented  by  our 
natural  heat,  dried  our  clothes  upon  us  as  we  went  on. 


155 


CHAPTER  XII 


Geological  Speculation  — Beautiful  Pasture-land 

THE  stars  were  of  extraordinary  brilliancy  at  night; 
so  brilliant  that  one  could  see  quite  well  enough  by 
their  light  to  get  about.  The  atmosphere  being 
extremely  clear,  they  appeared  of  immense  size,  the 
planets  shining  with  dazzling,  changing  colours,  which 
would  have  filled  even  the  most  profane  with  reverence 
for  their  splendour. 

I drew  the  attention  of  my  men  to  the  wonderful 
sight. 

“They  are  stars!”  they  replied  contemptuously; 
“ Have  you  never  seen  stars  before?  ” 

It  was  indeed  difficult  to  enter  into  conversation  on 
any  subject  with  them  without  having  an  ardent  desire 
to  strangle  the  lot,  they  were  so  ignorantly  offensive.  I 
was  thankful  I had  the  sense  always  to  go  about  unarmed, 
or  I am  certain  some  of  them  would  have  paid  somewhat 
dearly  for  their  impertinence.  I was  glad,  too,  that  I 
never  felt  the  weight  of  loneliness,  as  days  and  days 
would  go  by  without  my  saying  a word  to  them,  barring 
perhaps  a shout  in  camp  to  bring  my  breakfast,  lunch,  or 
dinner. 

What  was  even  worse  than  entering  into  conversation 
with  them  was  to  listen  — one  could  not  help  it,  they 
shouted  so  loudly  all  the  time  — to  the  conversation 
among  themselves.  We  will  not  refer  to  the  choice  lan- 
guage they  used,  so  inexplicably  sacrilegious  and  indec- 
orous that  it  would  have  set  on  edge  the  teeth  of  the 

156 


THE  FEIJAO 


coarsest  specimens  of  humanity;  but  the  subject  — I use 
the  singular,  mark  you,  for  alas!  there  was  only  one, 
discussed  in  all  its  phases  perhaps,  but  only  one  single 
subject  — assassination.  The  accounts  of  different  mur- 
ders, in  some  of  which  the  men  boasted  they  had  taken 
part,  were  nightly  repeated  in  their  minutest  details  to 
the  assembled  crowd,  myself  excluded,  sitting  around  the 
fire,  while  the  feijao  (beans)  so  loved  by  them  were  being 
stewed  for  hours  and  hours  in  a cauldron. 

There  was  one  story  of  a murder  of  which  one  of  the 
men  was  particularly  proud,  in  which  he  reproduced  the 
facial  expression  as  well  as  the  smothered  shrieks  of  the 
horrified  victim.  He  gave  a vivid  description  of  how 
the  blood  squirted  out  like  a fountain  from  the  jugular 
vein  of  the  throat  as  it  was  being  severed.  That  story, 
most  graphically  narrated,  I admit,  had  taken  the  fancy 
of  that  cruel  crowd.  Almost  every  evening,  during  the 
entire  time  those  men  were  with  me,  many  long  months, 
I heard  that  story  repeated  amid  roars  of  laughter  from 
the  company.  Murder,  when  applied  to  others,  was 
evidently  for  them  a great  joke! 

Inconsiderate  to  a degree,  they  would  get  up  and 
sing  at  the  top  of  their  voices  in  the  middle  of  the  night, 
and  keep  everybody  awake  while  the  feijao  was  stewing. 
It  took  hours  and  hours  before  those  awful  black  beans 
had  boiled  sufficiently  to  be  edible,  and  the  man  who 
acted  as  cook  had  to  sit  up  the  whole  night  to  stir  them 
up  and  watch  them.  Yes,  the  position  of  cook  for  the 
camp  was  not  an  enviable  one,  for  it  meant  marching 
all  day  and  sitting  up  all  night  to  prepare  the  feijao  for 
the  following  day.  Yet  the  love  they  had  for  their  feijao 
— I never  ate  the  beastly  stuff  myself  — was  so  great 
that  those  lazy  devils,  who  could  not  be  induced  on  any 
account  to  do  other  work,  did  not  mind  at  all  spending 
sleepless  nights  in  watching  over  the  steaming  cauldron. 
With  the  feijao  were  placed  in  the  pot  large  pieces  of 

157 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


toucinho  (lard).  We  carried  quantities  of  fcijao,  for 
without  feijao  you  cannot  induce  a Brazilian  to  do  any- 
thing or  go  anywhere.  Of  the  two  he  would  rather 
sacrifice  his  life  than  lose  his  daily  fcijao. 

It  requires  great  ability,  I believe,  to  cook  feijao 
properly.  I noticed  that  all  my  men  in  a body  were  ever 
superintending  its  preparation.  When  the  cook  in  the 
early  hours  of  the  morning  happened  to  let  the  fire  go 
down,  or  in  his  drowsiness  was  not  stirring  it  properly, 
there  were  angry  shouts  from  the  other  men,  Avho,  every 
time  they  opened  one  eye  in  their  sleep,  invariably  gazed 
towards  the  beloved  cooking-pot. 

We  came  to  a second  range  parallel  with  the  one 
described  before  and  extending  from  northeast  to  south- 
west. Again  a vertical  natural  wall  was  noticeable  to  the 
east.  This  range  was  subdivided  into  many  sections, 
almost  all  of  the  same  size  and  shape.  The  end  section 
to  the  northeast,  which  made  an  exception,  was  about 
three  and  a half  times  the  length  of  any  of  the  others. 
I observed  some  deep  vertical  vents  such  as  are  to  be  seen 
frequently  in  the  sections  of  volcanoes  that  have  been 
partly  blown  up.  These  vents  were  particularly  numerous 
in  the  northeasterly  block,  where  broad  corrugations  and 
some  narrow  ones  — ten  in  all  — Avere  also  to  be  seen. 

Tavo  alternatives  could  explain  the  present  con- 
figuration of  that  region.  There  had  been  either  a great 
volcanic  explosion  or  else  a sudden  subsidence.  Per- 
sonally I was  inclined  to  favour  the  first  hypothesis.  I 
shall  explain  why.  First  because  the  great  fissures 
between  the  Ararious  huge  blocks  and  the  grooves  carved 
in  those  rocks  would  then  at  once  explain  themselves: 
caused  naturally  by  the  violent  shock.  They  had  appar- 
ently been  enlarged  in  the  course  of  time  by  erosion  of 
Avater  and  wind,  and  possibly  by  the  friction  of  the  debris 
of  the  masses  of  rock  settling  down,  when  the  stratum 
Avas  severed.  The  quantity  of  debris  of  shattered  rock 

158 


GEOLOGICAL  SPECULATION 


minutely  broken  into  cubes  and  other  angular  forms  would 
suggest  that  some  great  shock  had  occurred.  Then  the 
usual  yellow  pellets  of  polished  lava,  either  globular  or 
pear-shaped,  or  like  an  elongated  oval  ending  in  a point 
and  well  rounded  at  the  other  end,  would  also  indicate 
that  these  missiles  had  been  flying  great  distances  through 
the  air  in  a molten  state  before  they  had  actually  dropped. 
In  fact,  the  flight  was  so  long  as  absolutely  to  cool  and 
solidify  them  before  they  fell,  unless  they  had  landed  in 
cold  water,  for  they  had  retained  their  original  form, 
instead  of  getting  flattened  at  the  heavier  end,  as  would 
be  expected  had  the  lava  reached  the  ground  in  a half-soft 
state.  Large  blocks  of  lava,  which  naturally  took  a longer 
time  to  cool  and  a shorter  time  to  reach  the  earth  after 
their  flight  through  the  atmosphere,  had,  in  fact,  become 
flattened  on  the  lower  side,  where  they  struck  the  ground. 
Others  of  a composite  globular  form  had  invariably  been 
flattened  into  a slight  curve  on  the  side  where  they  had 
come  in  contact  with  the  soil. 

Ovoid  rocks  as  large  as  a loaf  of  bread  and  composed 
of  compressed  cinders  were  to  be  seen,  which,  when  easily 
split  open,  showed  a band  of  slightly  ferruginous  matter, 
very  brittle,  in  a crystallized  condition.  In  the  centre  of 
these  rocks  were  invariably  found  beautiful  crystals  of 
great  limpidity,  easily  separated  from  one  another  by  a 
slight  pressure  of  the  fingers. 

Erosion  had  evidently  since  played  great  part  in  the 
present  appearance  of  the  country,  but  to  my  mind,  di- 
rectly above  what  is  now  a valley,  there  existed  at  one 
time  a high  range  of  mountains,  which  was  in  those  days 
the  great  dividing  line  of  the  waters  flowing  south  and 
north. 

One  might,  of  course,  also  argue  that  what  are  the 
mountains  now  have  been  pushed  up  from  underneath 
the  ground  into  their  present  position,  but  local  conditions 
do  not  tend  to  encourage  this  theory. 

159 


Across  unknown  south  America 


The  strata  of  red,  baked  rock  in  the  existing  mountain- 
side were  almost  absolutely  horizontal,  with  merely  a 
slight  dip  to  the  north.  In  the  northern  end  of  the  range 
the  rock  showing  through  the  vegetation  was  white,  as 
if  it  had  been  subjected  to  baking.  The  western  aspect  of 
the  first  range  showed  also  a vertical  summit  of  red  rock, 
with  a sloping  spur  extending  to  the  west. 

We  camped  that  night  on  the  river  Prata,  which  flowed 
south.  Elevation  1,300  feet.  Maximum  temperature 
85°  Fahrenheit,  minimum  63^2°  Fahrenheit. 

The  formation  of  the  clouds  was  always  interesting. 
The  long,  horizontal  streaks  across  the  sky,  which  were 
daily  noticeable,  took  a form  that  day  not  unlike  the 
vertebrae  of  an  immense  snake,  whereas  the  higher  clouds 
of  transparent  mist  in  filaments  looked  exactly  like  a huge 
spider’s  web. 

We  established  our  camp  under  a tall,  handsome, 
slender,  Xinglii  tree,  the  triangular  fruit  of  which,  with  a 
light  brown,  hard  skin,  was  deadly  poisonous  if  eaten. 
Alcides  told  me  that  in  Minas  Geraes  it  was  much  used 
in  the  manufacture  of  soap.  This  tree  was  extremely 
neat-looking,  with  its  clean,  sinuous  branches  and  its 
pretty,  light  green,  healthy  leaves,  of  an  elongated  oval 
shape. 

My  men  had  insisted  on  bringing  dogs  away  with 
us  for  safety  in  case  of  attack  by  Indians.  They  had 
in  fact  procured  three,  I would  not  care  to  say  how,  before 
our  departure  from  the  Goyaz  Province.  Those  dogs 
were  just  as  faithless  and  lazy  and  worthless  as  the 
people.  They  followed  us  because  they  got  plenty  of 
food,  otherwise  they  had  no  affection  for  anybody;  and, 
far  from  giving  an  alarm  when  any  person  or  any  animal 
approached  the  camp,  they  were  quite  unmoved  by  any- 
thing that  happened  around  them  during  the  day  or  night, 
except  at  meal-times.  A handsome  o?ifa  (jaguar)  leapt 
close  to  camp,  and  on  perceiving  us  bounded  gracefully 

160 


GOOD  WATER 


away;  the  dogs  remained  fast  asleep  with  their  noses 
resting  on  their  respective  extended  fore-paws.  Another 
day  during  the  march  a veado  ( Cervus  elaphus ),  a deer, 
sprang  in  his  flight  clean  over  one  of  the  dogs  without  the 
dog  even  noticing  him!  Game  was  plentiful  in  that  part 
of  the  country,  and  the  animals  were  so  unaccustomed  to 
see  people  that  one  could  get  quite  near  them. 

My  men  went  after  game  in  the  morning,  and  we  did 
not  start  very  early,  in  fact  not  until  10.30  a.m.  It 
was  amazing  to  see  the  amount  of  good  water  that  was  to 
be  found  on  the  plateau.  We  crossed  a streamlet  flowing 
south  (elevation  1,300  feet),  and  shortly  afterwards,  upon 
gently  inclined  land,  we  crossed  another  stream,  also 
flowing  south. 

We  were  travelling  due  west  along  the  foot  of  a 
curious  range  which  stood  to  our  north  and  of  another  of 
similar  characteristics  to  the  south.  It  seemed  quite 
possible,  in  fact,  even  probable,  that  the  two  ranges  were 
formerly  only  one,  which  had  split,  and  that  we  were 
travelling  inside  the  partially-filled-up  fissure  between  the 
two  divisions.  The  sky-line  of  the  two  ranges  matched 
exactly  on  both  sides : first  a long  hump,  then  two  smaller 
humps,  after  that  a more  even  and  continuous  line. 

On  reaching  an  elevation  of  1,500  feet  we  were  con- 
fronted with  a splendid  view  of  a flat  plateau  to  the  west. 
By  a steep  descent  we  went  down  300  feet  to  a river 
(elevation  1,200  feet  above  the  sea  level)  in  a hollow, 
reached  by  going  through  dense,  tall  grass  and  thick 
vegetation.  A humble  wooden  cross  by  the  stream 
marked  the  spot  where  a Brazilian  had  been  murdered 
by  Indians. 

Interesting  flows  and  domes  of  lava  were  to  be  seen 
near  the  stream,  after  which  our  marching  that  day  was 
mostly  up  and  down  campos  with  magnificent  grazing, 
the  general  slope  of  which  was  from  north  to  south. 
At  an  elevation  of  1,400  feet,  on  looking  back,  we 

vol.  i.  — u 161 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


had  a general  view  of  the  two  ranges  which  had  become 
separated. 

On  one  side  of  the  range,  a sloping  back  was  notice- 
able, whereas  on  the  opposite  side  were  almost  vertical 
sides,  much  grooved,  with  a terrace  about  two  thirds  up 
the  total  elevation,  except  at  the  western  end,  where  the 
terrace  was  instead  exactly  half  way  up,  with  a minor 
terrace  near  the  summit. 

We  met  and  crossed  another  streamlet,  and  then  rose 
on  our  route  to  1,550  feet,  from  where  another  beautiful 
view  of  the  plateau  to  the  southwest  could  be  obtained, 
a low  hill  range  with  a higher  peak  in  front  of  it,  and 
the  immense  green  campos  at  a slanting  angle.  Another 
fine  panoramic  view  of  the  divided  ranges  was  also  before 
us,  although  from  our  particular  point  of  vantage  it  was 
slightly  more  difficult  to  reconstruct  their  former  appear- 
ance in  one’s  imagination  than  from  the  centre  of  the 
valley  we  had  crossed,  although  even  from  our  point  the 
fact  was  apparent  after  a little  study. 

On  proceeding  down  to  the  river,  we  met  some  flows 
of  red  lava  and,  upon  the  top  of  nearly  every  undulation, 
boulders  of  black  eruptive  rock  showed  through,  highly 
ferruginous,  as  well  as  much  lava  in  pellets.  Debris  of 
baked  red  and  black  rock  were  to  be  found  in  quantities 
down  the  slopes  and  at  the  bottom  of  those  undulations, 
carried  there  evidently  by  water.  In  one  or  two  places, 
such  as  near  the  river  at  Ponte  Keimada,  I smashed  some 
of  the  larger  boulders  of  yellow  lava.  Here  is  what  I 
found  inside:  Under  an  outer  coating  of  lava  an  inch 
thick  there  was  a layer  of  solidified  cinders.  Under  that 
lay  a thin  layer  of  lava,  then  again  yet  another  layer  of 
grey  ashes,  then  lava  again.  This  would  indicate  that 
those  boulders  had  gradually  reached  their  present  shape 
partly  in  reTolutions  through  the  air  thick  with  cinders, 
partly  by  rolling  down  or  along  intermittent  stretches  of 
molten  lava  and  cinders  during  a great  eruption,  or  per- 

162 


VOLCANIC  SCENERY  OF  MATTO  GROSSO. 
Chapada  in  foreground. 


PECULIAR  FORMATION  OF  CENTRAL  PLATEAU 


GREAT  UNDULATING  CAMPOS  OF  MATTO  GROSSO 


A CHANGE  OF  SCENERY 


haps  during  several  successive  eruptions.  Personally,  I 
think  that  it  was  during  various  periods  of  one  eruption 
before  the  lava  had  cooled,  so  that  in  its  sticky  state  it 
would  easily  collect  the  ashes  round  it,  which  it  would 
certainly  not  do  in  its  polished,  solidified  state. 

When  we  had  passed  beyond  the  western  end  of  the 
two  parallel  ranges,  a great  change  was  noticeable  in  the 
appearance  of  the  country  we  were  crossing.  We  missed 
the  long,  sweeping,  uninterrupted  lines  of  the  scenery, 
and  had  before  our  eyes  a confused  surface  of  bosses, 
mounds,  and  short  undulations,  with  thick,  luxuriant  vege- 
tation upon  them,  which  prevented  my  studying  carefully 
their  geological  formation.  The  soil,  of  a rich  red  colour, 
showed  every  indication  of  being  extremely  fertile  in  that 
particular  climate. 

From  the  point  where  we  stood,  one  could  well  judge 
the  effects  of  the  great  volcanic  explosion  on  the  back  of 
the  range  — the  one  to  our  left  — where  a long  line  of 
buttresses  had  formed,  as  if  on  that  side  a subsidence  on 
a large  scale  had  also  taken  place.  It  was  in  any  case 
curious  to  notice  that  at  the  two  termini  east  and  west 
of  the  two  parallel  ranges  white  rock  in  columnar  form 
was  exposed  in  both  ranges  in  corresponding  sites. 

The  slope  noticeable  on  the  north  side  of  the  southern 
range  could  be  explained  by  the  tilting  of  the  strata  where 
the  separation  took  place.  The  angle  of  the  strata  clearly 
demonstrated  this  fact. 

Millions  of  mosquitoes  and  piums,  carrapatinhos,  and 
carrapatos  made  life  unbearable  during  both  the  day  and 
night.  We  never  had  a moment’s  respite.  The  gnats, 
too,  in  thick  swarms  around  us,  were  a constant  worry; 
we  were  busy  all  day  removing  them  from  our  eyes  and 
ears.  They  stung  us  all  over  most  mercilessly.  I was 
making  a botanical  collection,  which  contained  not  only 
specimens  of  the  leaves  of  all  the  trees  we  met  with,  but 
also  of  minor  plants  and  various  kinds  of  grass.  This 

163 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


involved  getting  off  my  mule  many  times  a day.  When- 
ever I put  my  feet  on  the  ground  or  touched  a blade  of 
grass,  I well  knew  what  was  in  store  for  me.  At  once 
I became  literally  covered  with  carrapatinhos,  and  had 
to  scratch  myself  so  violently  that  nothing  short  of  digging 
my  nails  into  my  skin  seemed  to  relieve  the  irritation  — 
and  that,  mind  you,  only  momentarily.  One  had  to  bear 
it,  and  wait  until  one  got  to  camp  in  the  evening  before 
one  could  disinfect  oneself  all  over.  In  this  world  one 
never  gets  much  credit  for  anything,  but  I do  think  that 
few  men  under  those  circumstances  would  have  gone  on, 
as  I did,  collecting  botanical  specimens  for  no  reward 
whatever  except  my  own  pleasure,  if  pleasure  it  can 
be  called. 

Again  we  noticed  that  day  wonderful  effects  of  clouds 
in  filaments,  one  group  stretching  along  the  sky  in  an  arc 
from  north  to  east  like  the  dorsal  bone  and  ribs  of  an 
immense  fish. 

We  camped  on  the  bank  of  a stream  (elevation  1,050 
feet)  flowing  northeast,  which  was,  I think,  the  same 
stream  we  had  met  in  the  morning,  and  which  had 
described  a big  turn. 

My  men  amused  me  with  their  fears.  Even  when  in 
camp  they  never  left  their  rifles  for  a moment.  When 
they  went  only  a few  yards  away,  either  to  fetch  water  or 
bring  back  a mule,  they  invariably  took  all  their  weapons 
with  them  — carbines,  automatic  pistols,  and  daggers. 

In  order  to  collect  specimens  and  examine  the  country, 
I frequently  strayed  away  alone  for  long  distances  from 
camp,  sometimes  for  two  or  three  hours  at  a time,  always 
absolutely  unarmed.  My  men  began  to  be  thoroughly 
frightened  at  the  immunity  I possessed  from  attacks  of 
wild  beasts  and  Indians.  Although  I told  them  that  wild 
beasts  never  attacked  human  beings  unless  attacked  first, 
and  that  there  were  no  Indians  about,  my  men  would  not 
believe  me.  They  maintained  that  I must  have  some 

161 


A SPECIAL  SECRET 


special  secret  of  my  own  which  brought  me  back  alive,  and 
that  I must  be  even  bullet-proof.  They  could  never  be 
induced  to  go  alone,  even  when  armed,  for  more  than  a 
few  metres  from  camp. 

We  were  having  cool  nights.  Minimum  59°  Fahren- 
heit, maximum  80°  Fahrenheit — on  May  seventeenth. 
A mackerel  sky  of  the  prettiest  design  was  overhead, 
like  a lovely  mosaic  of  white  and  blue  porcelain,  while  a 
band  of  clear  blue  encircled  us  all  around  above  the 
horizon  line. 

Across  a forest  we  continued  our  journey,  rising  some 
300  feet  to  1,350  feet  above  the  sea  level,  where  we  again 
found  campos  and  forest  alternately  upon  deep  masses  of 
fine  red  sand,  or  else  great  expanses  of  grey  and  black 
volcanic  cinders  intermixed  in  patches.  On  reaching  the 
highest  elevation  we  actually  went  over  six  kilometres  of 
volcanic  sand  and  ashes,  and  in  one  place  traversed  a 
patch  of  shattered  debris  with  cutting  edges  of  eruptive 
rock,  and  brilliant  red  or  deep  black  pebbles.  Then  again 
we  saw  masses  of  the  usual  ferruginous,  much-perforated 
rocks,  many  so  absolutely  spherical  as  to  resemble  cannon- 
balls. 

To  the  west  we  could  see  before  us  lovely  green 
undulations  — campos  — with  a curious  hump  in  the 
centre,  that  looked  as  though  due  to  subterranean  pressure. 
In  the  distance  was  visible  another  of  those  long,  flat- 
topped  plateaus  typical  of  Brazil,  with  a headland  which, 
owing,  it  seemed,  chiefly  to  erosion,  had  become  separated 
from  the  main  range.  It  resembled  and  was  parallel  with 
the  second  range  of  the  split  mountains  we  had  just  left. 
Some  nine  kilometres  from  our  last  camp  we  encountered 
the  river  Das  Corgo,  flowing  south  (elevation  1,150  feet) 
over  a bed  formed  by  an  impressive  great  flow  of  solidified 
red  lava  covered  in  some  places  by  deposits  of  bright  red 
earth.  Beyond  the  river  we  found  ourselves  again  upon 
yellow  sand  and  ashes. 


165 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


Beneath  a cirro-cumulus  — or  mackerel  sky  — wonder- 
fully beautiful  because  of  its  perfection  of  design,  we 
were  gradually  rising  over  the  domed  elevation  we  had 
previously  observed,  upon  which  we  found  masses  of  tiny 
pebbles  — what  are  known  to  geologists  by  the  Italian 
name  of  “ puzzolana  ” or  sconce  reduced  to  a granular 
condition.  Farther  on,  travelling  over  other  undulations, 
we  sank  into  thick  deposits  of  grey  and  yellow  volcanic 
scoria?,  such  as  fine  sand,  cinders,  and  lapilli.  At  the 
highest  point  (elevation  1,270  feet)  we  travelled  over 
deep  sediments  of  sand  and  ashes  mixed  together.  All 
those  undulations,  as  a matter  of  fact,  were  above  great 
buried  flows  of  red  lava,  which  were  invariably  exposed 
to  sight  in  the  depressions,  particularly  in  the  beds  of 
rivers. 

Being  a great  lover  of  good  water,  to  my  mind  the 
elixir  of  life,  the  great  secret  of  health  and  strength,  I 
was  always  enraptured  by  the  deliciousness  of  the  water 
in  the  streams  we  met.  It  was  so  crystalline  and  limpid 
that  one  could  not  resist  the  temptation  to  drink  it, 
even  when  not  thirsty.  I always  carried  slung  to  my 
saddle  an  enamelled  tin  cup  attached  to  a string,  so  as 
to  be  able  to  procure  myself  a drink  at  all  the  streams 
without  getting  off  my  mount. 

Twelve  kilometres  from  our  last  camp  we  came  to  a 
watercourse  flowing  into  a big  stream  at  the  bottom  of 
the  valley.  Its  bed  was  in  overlapping  terraces  of 
polished  red  lava. 

The  green  country  before  us,  in  great  sweeping 
undulations,  reminded  one  much,  in  its  regularity,  of  the 
great  waves  of  the  ocean  — what  sailors  call  “ long  seas.” 
Where  the  stream  had  cut  through  and  left  the  underlying 
dome  of  lava  exposed,  one  could  easily  judge  of  the  thick 
deposits  of  sand,  ashes,  and  pulverized  rock  which  formed 
the  strata  above  it. 

We  travelled  over  more  red  volcanic  sand  for  some 

166 


MAGNIFICENT  GRAZING  LAND 


four  kilometres,  rising  to  1,400  feet,  on  which  elevation 
was  thick  matto,  or  stunted,  much  entangled  forest. 
Then  we  emerged  again  into  glorious  open  country, 
marching  over  a stratum  eight  feet  thick  of  whitish  tufa 
and  ashes,  this  stratum  lying  immediately  above  one  of  red 
volcanic  earth.  The  strata  were  easily  measurable  where 
rivulets  had  cut  deep  grooves  in  the  softer  super- 
ficial strata  and  had  reached  the  foundation  layer  of 
lava. 

The  campos  seemed  to  grow  more  and  more  beautiful 
as  we  went  west.  What  magnificent  grazing  land!  One 
could  imagine  on  it  millions  and  millions  of  happy,  fat 
cattle;  but  no,  not  one  was  to  be  seen  anywhere.  What 
a pity  to  see  such  wonderful  country  go  to  waste!  There 
was  everything  there,  barring,  perhaps,  easy  transport,  to 
make  the  happiness  and  fortune  of  thousands  upon  thou- 
sands of  farmers  — excellent  grazing,  fertile  soil,  good 
healthy  climate,  and  delicious  and  plentiful  water  — but 
the  country  was  absolutely  deserted. 

For  miles  the  beautiful  prairies  extended,  especially  to 
the  southwest,  where  in  the  distant  background  loomed  a 
high,  flat-topped  tableland,  interrupted  by  two  deep 
cuts  in  its  extensive,  monotonous  sky-line.  Those  cuts 
were  near  its  southern  end.  To  the  south  stood  a long 
range  of  wooded  hills,  also  with  an  absolutely  flat  sky- 
line. We  ourselves  were  not  higher  than  1,400  feet  above 
the  sea  level.  My  animals  stumbled  along  over  a region 
of  much-broken-up  debris;  then  again  travelling  was 
easier,  although  heavy,  over  tufa,  sand,  and  ashes.  On 
descending  to  a stream,  1,200  feet  above  sea  level,  we 
slipped  terribly  on  the  steep  argillaceous  slope,  and  the 
animals  had  great  difficulty  in  climbing  up  on  the  opposite 
side,  where  we  made  our  camp. 

The  streamlet  flowed  east  into  a larger  stream,  which 
we  also  crossed,  and  which  flowed  southwest. 

It  seemed  to  be  getting  colder  at  night  as  we  went 

167 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


westward  (May  18,  minimum  57°  Fahrenheit),  whereas 
during  the  day  the  temperature  was  hot  — maximum  97° 
Fahrenheit.  As  early  as  9 a.m.  the  thermometer  already 
registered  85°  in  the  shade,  and  there  was  not  a breath  of 
wind.  The  elevation  was  1,150  feet.  The  sky  was  in 
streaky,  horizontal  clouds  to  the  east,  and  thin,  misty 
clouds  to  the  south  — cirro-stratus. 

One  of  my  horses  having  strayed  away  a long  dis- 
tance, we  did  not  leave  that  camp  until  the  afternoon, 
after  the  animal  had  been  recovered.  We  rose  quickly 
over  the  usual  red  volcanic  sand,  held  down  in  its  place  by 
the  vegetation,  rather  anaemic  at  that  particular  spot. 
Higher  up  we  again  sank  in  the  white  and  yellow  ashes, 
with  occasional  zones  covered  by  small,  angular,  black- 
baked  debris. 

Ants  seemed  to  flourish  happily  in  that  region,  for 
the  ant-heaps  were  innumerable  and  of  great  size,  several 
with  towers  about  six  feet  in  height,  resembling  miniature 
mediaeval  castles. 

Having  risen  — all  the  time  over  grey  and  white 
ashes — to  1,420  feet,  we  found  ourselves  again  upon  open 
campos,  with  a splendid  view  of  the  flat-topped  range  we 
had  already  seen  to  the  north  and  of  another  to  the  south. 
At  the  angle  where  the  northern  range  changed  its  di- 
rection slightly,  there  stood  a high  prominence  of  peculiar 
appearance.  The  range  extended  west,  where  it  ended, 
into  a broken  cone,  quite  separated  by  erosion  from  the 
main  range,  as  I have  already  stated.  All  along  the  range 
in  the  section  between  the  prominence  at  the  angle  and 
the  terminal  cone  could  be  noticed  three  distinct  level 
terraces  and  several  intermediate  ones,  not  yet  well  defined 
nor  continuous  along  the  whole  face  of  the  range.  About 
half  way  along  its  length,  a semi-cylindrical  vertical  cut 
was  a striking  feature,  and  appeared  from  a distance  to 
be  the  remains  of  an  extinct  crater.  It  may  be  noted 
that  where  that  crater  was,  the  range  was  higher  than  else- 

168 


RIVER  CORGO  FUNDO 


where.  Its  summit,  with  an  undulating  sky-line,  lay  to 
the  west  of  it,  no  doubt  formed  by  erupted  matter.  Other 
great  vertical  furrows  were  noticeable  not  far  from  the 
crater  and  to  the  west  of  it. 

The  scenery  was  getting  stranger  and  stranger  every 
day.  We  began  to  notice  solitary  domes  and  cones  in  the 
landscape.  That  day,  in  fact,  beyond  the  great  campos, 
we  had  before  us  a curious,  little,  well-rounded  dome, 
standing  up  by  itself  upon  an  absolutely  flat  surface,  at  a 
considerable  distance  from  the  flat  tableland  which  stood 
on  one  side,  and  of  which  formerly  it  evidently  made  part. 
Higher  mountains,  somewhat  nearer  to  us,  were  on 
the  southwest. 

We  had  reached  the  River  Corgo  Fundo  (elevation 
1,250  feet),  along  the  banks  of  which  the  laminae  of  red- 
baked  rock  could  be  observed  with  thin  white  layers 
between.  Above  was  a lovely  green  pasture  with  a tuft  of 
deep  green  trees,  which  looked  exactly  like  a bit  of  a 
well-kept  English  park.  We  mounted  up  again  to  1,430 
feet,  then  went  down  another  descent  into  a large  plain 
with  campos,  upon  which  grew  merely  a few  stunted 
trees.  We  were  still  travelling  over  deep  deposits  of 
sand. 

The  range  to  the  north  of  us  extended,  to  be  accurate, 
from  northeast  to  southwest,  and  at  its  southwesterly 
end  possessed  a dome  not  dissimilar  to  the  one  already 
described  on  our  previous  day’s  march.  This  one  was 
perhaps  more  rounded  and  not  quite  so  tall.  It  rose  above 
the  plateau  in  two  well-defined  terraces,  especially  on  the 
northeast  side,  but  was  slightly  worn  and  smoothed  to 
the  southwest.  On  the  terminal  mound,  clearly  separated 
from  the  range  by  erosion,  seven  distinct  terraces  could 
he  counted,  with  some  less  defined,  intermediate  ones. 

In  the  bed  of  another  stream  flowing  south  — it  was 
impossible  to  ascertain  the  names  of  these  streamlets,  for 
there  was  no  one  to  tell,  and  none  were  marked  on  existing 

169 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


maps  — another  great  flow  of  red  lava  was  visible.  This 
stream  flowed  into  the  Rio  das  Ga^as  or  Barreiros,  only 
500  metres  away:  an  important  watercourse,  throwing 
itself  eastward  into  the  Rio  das  Mortes,  one  of  the  great 
tributaries  of  the  upper  Araguaya  River. 


170 


CHAPTER  XIII 

The  River  Barreiros  — A Country  of  Tablelands 


THE  Rio  Barreiros  was  about  100  metres  wide.  It 
was  reached  through  a thick  belt,  100  metres  in 
width,  of  trees  and  bamboos  of  large  diameter, 
which  lined  both  its  banks.  The  river  flowed  swiftly 
where  we  crossed  it,  over  a bed  of  lava  and  baked  rock, 
red  and  black,  with  huge  treacherous  pits  and  holes  which 
rendered  the  job  of  crossing  the  stream  dangerous  for  our 
animals.  There  were  rapids  lower  down  in  the  terraced 
mass  of  rock  forming  the  river  bottom.  The  rock,  worn 
smooth  by  the  water,  was  extremely  slippery.  It  was  only 
after  we  had  all  undressed  and  taken  the  baggage  safely 
across  on  our  heads  — the  river  being  too  deep  for  the 
loads  to  remain  on  the  saddles  — that  we  successfully 
drove  the  animals  over  to  the  opposite  bank. 

On  the  banks  I collected  some  specimens  of  the 
laminated  red  rock,  which  had  no  great  crushing  resistance 
when  dry.  It  could  be  easily  powdered  under  compara- 
tively light  pressure,  and  scratched  with  no  difficulty  with 
one’s  nails.  It  was  of  various  densities  of  red  tones, 
according  to  the  amount  of  baking  it  had  undergone.  The 
superimposed  red  strata  had  a dip  northward  in  some 
localities.  The  rock  was  much  fissured,  and  had  either 
gone  through  excessive  contraction  in  cooling,  or  else  per- 
haps had  been  shattered  by  some  earthly  commotion,  such 
as  must  have  occurred  often  in  that  region  in  ages  gone 
by;  for,  if  not,  how  could  one  account  for  finding  scattered 
blocks  of  this  red  rock  resting  upon  the  surface  of  great 

171 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


stretches  — sometimes  for  20  or  30  kilometres  — of  un- 
interrupted sand  or  ashes  which  covered  such  great 
expanses  of  that  country? 

In  the  valleys,  near  water,  burity  palms  were 
numerous. 

Overhead  the  sky  was  always  interesting.  The  days 
nearly  invariably  began  with  a clear,  speckless  sky,  but, 
mind  you,  never  of  quite  so  deep  a blue  as  the  sky  of 
Italy  or  Egypt.  The  sky  of  Central  Brazil  was  always  of 
a whitish  cobalt  blue.  That  morning,  an  exception  to 
prove  the  rule,  we  had  awakened  to  a thick  mist  around 
us,  which  enveloped  and  damped  everything.  No  sooner 
did  the  sun  rise  than  the  mist  was  quickly  dispelled.  In 
the  late  morning,  about  ten  o’clock,  clouds  began  to  form 
high  in  the  sky  — not  along  the  horizon,  as  is  generally 
the  case  in  most  countries  — and  grew  in  intensity  and  size 
during  the  afternoon.  Nearly  every  day  at  about  sunset 
a peculiar  flirnsj7-,  almost  transparent,  streak  of  mist 
stretched  right  across  the  sky  from  east  to  west,  either 
in  the  shape  of  a curved  line,  or,  as  we  had  observed  as 
recently  as  the  day  before,  resembling  with  its  side 
filaments  a gigantic  feather  or  the  skeleton  of  a fish. 

In  the  State  of  Goyaz,  it  may  be  remembered,  we 
had  a more  beautiful  and  complete  effect  at  sunset  of 
many  radiating  lines,  starting  from  the  east  and  joining 
again  in  the  west,  but  here  we  had  merely  one  single 
streak,  dividing  the  sky  in  two.  When  the  sun  had  long 
disappeared  below  the  horizon,  that  streak  high  up  in 
the  sky  was  still  lighted  by  its  rays,  becoming  first  golden, 
then  red.  The  effect  was  quite  weird. 

My  men  during  the  night  went  on  another  fishing 
expedition,  but  with  no  luck,  partly  due  to  the  infamy 
of  our  dogs.  They  used  as  bait  for  their  large  hooks 
toucinho,  or  pork  fat,  of  which  they  had  started  out  pro- 
vided with  a huge  piece.  They  walked  a good  distance 
from  camp  to  find  a suitable  spot.  Unfortunately, 

172 


DANGEROUS  EXPERIMENTS 


while  they  were  there,  the  dogs  ate  up  all  the  toucinho, 
and  the  result  was  that  the  men  had  to  return  disappointed. 
There  was  plenty  of  game,  especially  wild  pig  and  veado 
(deer) . 

Alcides  had  a smattering  of  botany,  which  was  a great 
danger  to  the  company.  He  knew,  he  thought,  the  uses, 
medicinal  or  otherwise,  of  all  plants,  herbs,  and  fruit,  wild 
or  not  wild.  This,  in  addition  to  the  greediness  of  the 
men,  who,  although  actually  gorged  with  food,  were  al- 
ways willing  to  devour  anything  else  they  found,  led 
once  or  twice,  as  we  shall  see,  to  the  poisoning  of  himself 
and  his  companions  so  dangerously  as  not  only  to  cause 
terrible  internal  pains,  but  to  bring  them  all  actually  to 
death’s  door. 

I never  got  poisoned  myself,  as  I generally  took 
good  care  to  watch  the  effects  of  those  experiments  upon 
my  men  first.  Then  also,  in  my  many  years  of  explora- 
tion, I had  learnt  only  too  well  to  beware  of  even  the 
most  seductive  tropical  plants  and  fruit.  Notwithstand- 
ing all  this,  Alcides  was  really  wonderful  at  turning  out 
pleasant-tasting  beverages  from  the  stewed  bark  or  leaves 
of  various  trees,  and  of  these  decoctions,  in  which 
additional  quantities  of  sugar  played  an  important  part, 
my  men  and  myself  drank  gallons  upon  gallons.  Many 
of  those  drinks  had  powerful  astringent  qualities  and  had 
severe  effects  upon  the  bladder,  but  some  were  indeed 
quite  good  and  innocuous. 

During  the  night  I observed  a most  perfect  lunar  halo, 
the  circle,  close  to  the  moon,  displaying  a curious, 
yellowish  red,  outer  fringe. 

Since  leaving  the  Araguaya,  we  had  been  bothered  a 
good  deal  nightly  by  the  heavy  dew,  which  absolutely 
soaked  everything,  made  all  our  rifles  and  axes  and  iron 
implements  rusty,  and  the  tents  and  saddles  and  baggage 
considerably  heavier  for  the  animals  to  carry,  owing  to 
the  moisture  they  had  absorbed.  In  the  early  morning 

173 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


we  began  to  get  thick  cold  mist,  and  it  was  about  that  time 
that  the  minimum  temperature  was  usually  registered 
— 58°  Fahrenheit  that  particular  night,  May  nineteenth. 
We  were  at  quite  a low  elevation,  merely  1,100  feet. 
When  we  started  in  the  morning,  we  found  more  sand 
and  volcanic  debris  over  ridges  some  100  feet  or  so  above 
the  level  of  the  river.  A torrent,  15  metres  wide,  flowing 
swiftly  west-southwest  on  a red  lava  bed,  was  crossed, 
the  mules  slipping  terribly  on  the  polished  rock.  More 
ashes  and  sand  were  found  as  we  ascended  to  an  elevation 
of  1,200  feet,  from  which  height  we  discerned  a much- 
terraced  headland  to  the  east  and  two  streams  meeting 
and  flowing  south  where  we  eventually  crossed  them.  One 
of  those  watercourses  descended  in  cascades  over  lami- 
nated successive  flows  of  lava,  between  which  thin  layers 
of  white  crystallization  could  be  seen. 

Slightly  higher,  at  1,250  feet,  we  sank  again  in  yellow 
and  grey  ashes. 

Across  campos  we  reached  another  foaming  torrent, 
flowing  as  usual  over  a lava  bed,  but  this  time  in  a 
northwesterly  instead  of  in  a southerly  direction.  That 
day  we  met  with  many  watercourses.  Having  risen  to 
1,450  feet,  we  soon  after  found  another  streamlet  (ele- 
vation 1,230  feet).  Again  a red  lava-flow  was  exposed 
in  its  bed  and  showed  heavy  upper  deposits  of  grey  ashes, 
with  above  them  a thick  layer  of  yellow-ochre  sand 
(1,300  feet). 

The  distances  on  the  journey  were  measured  by  a 
watch,  the  speed  of  the  animals  at  the  time  being  naturally 
taken  into  consideration.  It  was  not  possible  to  use  the 
usual  bicycle  wheel  with  a meter  attached,  which  is  used 
with  so  much  success  in  the  Arctic  regions  or  in  countries 
where  travelling  more  or  less  in  a straight  line  and  on  a 
level  surface  is  possible. 

Another  limpid  stream  flowing  southwest  (elevation 
1,200  feet)  was  reached,  then  more  deep  sand  and  ashes. 

174 


A WARM  STREAM 


After  that  we  came  to  a thick  growth  of  bamboos  and 
brush  on  reaching  the  banks  of  a streamlet  winding  its 
way  north. 

Travelling  up  and  down,  all  day  and  day  after  day, 
over  those  undulations  became  tedious  work;  red  sand, 
whitish  sand,  grey  ashes,  all  the  time. 

On  the  west  side,  on  descending  the  last  prominence, 
we  at  last  came  to  a slight  variation  in  the  geological 
composition  of  the  country.  After  more  white  sand  and 
ashes  had  been  passed,  we  came  upon  great  stretches  of 
greenish  grey  granite,  exposed  in  huge  domes  and  much 
striated,  with  parallel  grooves  on  its  surface  so  deep  that 
they  almost  looked  as  if  they  had  been  incised  by  a sharp 
tool.  These  grooves  were,  nevertheless,  naturally  caused 
by  the  sharp  friction  of  sand  and  water,  I think,  and  also 
by  sand  blown  over  those  rocks  with  terrific  force  by 
winds  of  inconceivable  vigour.  All  the  way  down  our 
descent  we  travelled  over  that  striated  rock.  It  had 
become  exposed  to  the  air,  but  once  must  have  been  buried 
under  sand  and  ashes,  like  all  the  rest  of  that  region. 
Curious  vertical  cracks  were  to  be  noticed  in  several  places, 
with  ramifications  from  a common  centre,  evidently  caused 
by  the  concussion  of  some  huge  weight  which  had  fallen 
from  above,  perhaps  a huge  boulder  shot  out  by  vol- 
canic action,  which  had  then  rolled  farther  down  the 
incline. 

The  terminal  side  of  the  curious  range  we  had  on  our 
right  appeared  not  unlike  a fortress,  with  its  vertical  walls 
standing  upon  a slanting  bastion. 

At  the  bottom  (elevation  1,200  feet)  of  the  great  dome 
of  granite  we  had  travelled  upon,  we  crossed  a stream 
flowing  southwest,  the  water  of  which  was  quite  warm. 
The  high  temperature  was  due,  I think,  to  the  heat  ab- 
sorbed by  the  rock  exposed  to  the  sun  and  communicated 
to  the  water  flowing  over  it,  rather  than  to  a thermal 
origin. 


175 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


Continuing  our  journey,  we  found  to  the  south  a great 
hollow  basin  in  the  southwestern  end  of  the  range,  with 
two  hillocks  between  the  range  itself  and  the  flat  boundary 
plateau  to  the  south. 

The  highest  point  of  the  hill  on  which  we  travelled 
was  1,450  feet  above  the  sea  level.  Every  metre  we 
travelled  westward  became  more  strangely  interesting. 
We  were  now  upon  a conglomerate  of  bespattered  lava- 
drops,  encased  in  a coating  of  solidified  ashes.  When  we 
reached  the  stream,  we  had  to  go  through  a dark  tunnel 
of  dense  vegetation,  great  ferns,  giant  palms,  creepers 
with  their  abundant  foliage,  and  tall  trees  festooned  with 
liane.  Having  crossed  this  dark  vegetable  passage,  we 
emerged  once  more  into  lovely  open  campos. 

Great,  lumpy,  globular,  woolly  clouds  faced  us  in  the 
sky  to  the  west.  Horizontal,  intermittent,  white  layers 
wrere  close  to  the  horizon  to  the  east,  then  three  parallel 
lines  of  feathery  mist  to  the  northwest.  In  quantity  of 
clouds  the  sky  that  day  would  meteorologically  be 
described  as  C 4 — which  means  that  four  tenths  of  the 
sky  vault  was  covered. 

One  could  not  help  being  struck  in  Central  Brazil  by 
the  almost  absolute  immobility  of  the  clouds.  One  seldom 
experienced  a strong  wind,  contrary  to  what  must  have 
taken  place  there  in  ages  gone  by,  when  that  country 
must  have  been  the  very  home  of  terrific  air-currents  and 
disturbances  on  a scale  beyond  all  conception.  It  was 
only  occasionally  that  a light  breeze,  merely  in  gusts  of 
a few  seconds,  would  refresh  one’s  ears  and  eyes  as  one 
marched  on.  What  was  more  remarkable  still  was  the 
sudden  change  of  direction  of  those  spasmodic  gusts  of 
wind  when  they  did  come. 

From  a river  (elevation  1,250  feet)  we  proceeded  over 
undulations  to  1,550  feet.  There  we  were  treated  to  an 
extensive  and  beautiful  view  to  the  west,  southwest,  and 
northwest.  The  elevated  sky-line  formed  by  the  plateau 

176 


FILIPPE,  THE  NEGRO 


and  mountains  was  quite  straight,  barring  three  much 
eroded  mountains  standing  quite  isolated  and  at  a great 
distance  from  one  another. 

One  of  these  solitary  elevations  was  to  the  southwest; 
another,  the  castle-like  mountain  of  great  height  we  had 
already  observed,  stood  due  west.  Then  came  the  long, 
flat  line  of  the  plateau,  with  but  a gentle  convexity  at  each 
end.  The  plateau,  dressed  in  thick  forest,  stood  in  the 
middle  distance  to  the  west-southwest.  Campos  of  great 
beauty  were  prominent  on  its  slopes  and  in  the  two 
hollows  in  the  immediate  vicinity. 

As  we  wound  our  way  forward,  we  found  masses  of 
ferruginous  black  rock,  black  debris,  and  beautiful 
crystals. 

The  silence  of  that  wonderful  landscape  was  im- 
pressive. The  tinkling  of  my  mules’  neck-bells  was  the 
only  cheering  sound  breaking  that  monotonous  solitude, 
except  perhaps  the  occasional  harsh  voices  of  my  men, 
urging  on  the  animals  with  some  unrepeatable  oath  or 
other. 

Filippe,  the  negro  — to  be  distinguished  from  the 
other  Filippi  in  my  employ,  a mulatto  — was  mounted 
on  one  of  my  best  mules.  He  carried  a regular  armoury 
on  his  back  and  round  his  waist,  for  not  only  did  he  carry 
his  own  rifle  but  also  mine,  besides  a pistol  and  two  large 
knives.  He  rode  along,  slashing  with  a long  whip  now  at 
one  mule  then  at  another.  Occasionally  he  treated  us 
to  some  of  his  improvised  melodies,  not  at  all  bad  and 
quite  harmonious,  although  one  got  rather  tired  of  the 
incessant  repetitions.  Filippe  was  a pure  negro,  born  in 
Brazil  from  ex-slaves.  He  had  never  been  in  Africa. 
His  songs  interested  me,  for  although  much  influenced 
naturally  by  modern  Brazilian  and  foreign  airs  he  had 
heard  at  Araguary,  still,  when  he  forgot  himself  and  his 
surroundings,  he  would  relapse  unconsciously  into  the 
ululations  and  plaintive  notes  and  rhythm  typical  of  his 

VOL.  I. — 12  777 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


ancestral  land  in  Central  Africa  — that  of  the  Banda 
tribe,  which  I happened  to  have  visited  some  years  before. 
I identified  him  easily  by  his  features,  as  well  as  by  his 
music  and  other  characteristics. 

Filippe  did  not  remember  his  father  and  mother,  nor 
had  he  known  any  other  relatives.  He  had  no  idea  to 
what  tribe  he  had  belonged,  he  did  not  know  any  African 
language,  and  he  had  never  to  his  remembrance  knowingly 
heard  African  music.  It  was  remarkable  under  those  cir- 
cumstances that  the  Central  African  characteristics  should 
recur  unconsciously  in  Filippe’s  music.  It  showed  me 
that  one  is  born  with  or  without  certain  racial  musical 
proclivities,  dictated  by  the  heart  and  brain.  They  cannot 
be  eradicated  for  many  generations,  no  matter  what  the 
place  of  birth  may  be  or  the  different  surroundings  in 
which  the  individual  may  find  himself,  or  the  influences 
which  may  affect  him  even  early  in  life. 

Brazil  was  certainly  a great  country  for  tablelands. 
As  we  came  out  again  into  the  open,  another  great  plateau, 
ending  with  a spur  not  unlike  the  ram  of  a battleship, 
loomed  in  the  foreground  to  the  south.  Yet  another 
plateau  of  a beautiful  pure  cobalt,  also  with  another 
gigantic  ram,  appeared  behind  the  first,  in  continuation 
of  the  two  separated  plateaux  we  have  already  examined. 
It  was  separated  from  these  by  a deep  cut  — a regular 
canon  — several  miles  wide,  and  with  sides  so  sharply 
defined  that  it  looked  like  the  artificial  work  of  an  immense 
canal. 

Great  campos  lay  before  us  in  the  near  foreground, 
from  our  high  point  of  vantage  (elevation  1,550  feet). 
We  were  still  travelling  on  a surface  of  volcanic  debris, 
yellow  ashes,  and  sand,  forming  a mere  cap  over  all  those 
hills,  the  foundation  of  which  was  simply  a succession  of 
giant  domes  of  lava. 

Northwest  we  still  had  the  almost  flat  sky-line  of  a 
plateau  rising  slightly  in  two  well-defined  steps  or  terraces 

178 


THE  RIVER  BARREIROS 


to  a greater  height  in  its  northern  part.  What  most 
attracted  me  that  day  was  the  delightful  view  of  the 
Barreiros  valley  spreading  before  us  — a view  of  truly 
extraordinary  grandeur. 

We  rapidly  descended,  leaving  to  our  left  the  Indian 
colony  of  Aracy.  Great  granitic  and  lava  slabs,  much 
striated,  were  seen  on  our  way  down  to  the  river  (elevation 
1,200  feet).  The  stream  was  50  metres  wide,  and  flowed 
south  where  we  crossed  it.  There  was  a handsome  white 
sand  beach  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river.  On  the  western, 
or  right  bank,  stood  great  volcanic  cliffs  of  boiled  and 
broiled  rock,  interesting  for  the  violent  contortions  they 
had  undergone  during  the  processes  of  ebullition,  which 
showed  plainly  in  their  present  solidified  form. 

The  river  bed  itself  was  one  of  the  usual  lava-flows, 
with  huge  globular  lumps  and  knots,  but  all  in  a solid, 
uninterrupted  mass. 

We  waded  chest-deep  across  the  stream,  conveyed  our 
baggage  and  mules  to  the  opposite  side,  and  then  we  all 
enjoyed  a bath  with  plenty  of  lathering  soap  in  the 
deliciously  refreshing  waters  of  the  Rio  Barreiros. 

The  river  Barreiros,  which  had  its  birth  in  the  Serra 
Furnas  Corros,  to  the  southwest,  entered  the  Rio  das 
Garzas  — there  100  metres  wide  — a short  distance  from 
where  we  crossed  it.  The  latter  river,  by  far  the  larger  of 
the  two  and  of  a very  circuitous  course,  flowed  in  a south- 
easterly direction  into  the  Araguaya.  The  Rio  das 
Garzas,  which  also  had  its  origin  in  the  Furnas  Corros 
Mountains,  had  almost  a parallel  course  with  the  upper 
Barreiros  from  southwest  to  northeast,  but  on  meeting 
the  Barreiros  suddenly  swung  round  at  a sharp  angle 
towards  the  southeast,  which  direction  it  more  or  less 
followed,  until  it  entered  the  Araguaya. 

We  made  our  camp  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Barreiros 
River.  My  men  were  in  a great  state  of  mind  when  I 
told  them  that  perhaps  on  this  river  we  might  find  some 

179 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


Indians.  The  cautious  way  in  which  they  remained  in 
camp  as  quiet  as  lambs  amused  me.  I noticed  the  care 
with  which  they  cleaned  their  rifles  and  replenished  their 
magazines  with  cartridges.  I assured  them  that  there  was 
no  danger  — in  fact,  that  quite  close  to  this  place  we 
should  find  one  of  the  Salesian  colonies. 


180 


CHAPTER  XIV 


The  Bororo  Indians 

WHILE  I was  reassuring  my  men,  an  Indian 
appeared,  bow  and  arrows  in  hand.  He  stood 
motionless,  looking  at  us.  My  men,  who  had  not 
noticed  his  coming,  were  terrified  when  they  turned  round 
and  saw  him. 

The  Indian  was  a strikingly  picturesque  figure,  with 
straight,  sinewy  arms  and  legs  of  wonderfully  perfect 
anatomical  modelling,  well-shaped  feet  — but  not  small  — 
and  hands.  He  was  not  burdened  with  clothing;  in  fact, 
he  wore  nothing  at  all,  barring  a small  belt  round  his  waist 
and  a fibre  amulet  on  each  arm. 

The  Indian  deposited  his  bow  and  arrows  against  a 
tree,  when  some  other  Indians  arrived.  He  stood  there 
as  straight  and  as  still  as  a bronze  statue,  his  head  inclined 
slightly  forward  in  order  to  screen  his  searching  eagle  eyes 
from  the  light  by  the  shade  of  his  protruding  brow.  He 
folded  his  arms  in  a peculiar  manner.  His  left  hand  was 
inserted  flat  under  the  right  arm,  the  right  hand  fully 
spread  flat  upon  his  abdomen. 

The  first  thing  I did  was  to  take  a snapshot  of  him 
before  he  moved.  Then  I proceeded  to  the  interesting 
study  of  his  features.  They  were  indeed  a great  reve- 
lation to  me.  One  single  glance  at  him  and  his  com- 
rades persuaded  me  that  a theory  I had  long  cherished 
about  the  aboriginal  population  of  the  South  American 
continent  was  correct,  although  in  contradiction  to  theories 
held  by  other  people  on  the  subject.  I had  always  be- 

181 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


lieved,  for  reasons  which  I shall  fully  explain  later,  that 
South  America  must  be  peopled  by  tribes  of  an  Australoid 
or  Papuan  type:  people  who  had  got  there  directly  from 
the  west  or  southwest,  not  by  people  who  had  gradually 
drifted  there  from  the  north. 

Some  scientists,  with  no  experience  of  travel,  have 
been  greatly  misled  by  the  fact  that  the  North  American 
Indians  are  decidedly  a Mongolian  race.  Therefore  they 
assumed,  basing  their  assumption  on  incorrect  data,  that 
the  unknown  Indians  of  South  America  must  also  be 
Mongolian.  This  was  a mistake,  although  undoubtedly 
migrations  on  a comparatively  small  scale  of  Indians  from 
North  to  South  America  must  have  taken  place,  chiefly 
along  the  western  American  coast.  Those  tribes,  however, 
unaccustomed  to  high  mountains,  never  crossed  the  Andes. 
Whatever  types  of  Indians  with  Mongolian  characteristics 
were  found  settled  in  South  America  were  to  be  found  to 
the  west  of  the  Andes  and  not  to  the  east.  This  does  not 
of  course  mean  that  in  recent  years,  when  roads  and  rail- 
ways and  steamships  have  been  established,  and  communi- 
cation made  comparatively  easy,  individuals  or  families 
may  not  have  been  conveyed  from  one  coast  to  the  other 
of  the  South  American  continent.  But  I wish  my  reader 
to  keep  in  mind  for  a moment  a clear  distinction  between 
the  Indians  of  the  western  coast  and  the  Indians  of  the 
interior. 

To  return  to  our  man:  I was  greatly  impressed  by 
the  strongly  Australoid  or  Papuan  nose  he  possessed:  in 
other  words,  broad,  with  the  lower  part  forming  a 
flattened,  depressed,  somewhat  enlarged  hook  with  heavy 
nostrils.  In  profile  his  face  was  markedly  convex,  not 
concave  as  in  Mongolian  faces.  Then  the  glabella  or 
central  boss  in  the  supra-orbital  region,  the  nose,  the  chin, 
were  prominent,  the  latter  broad  and  well-rounded.  The 
cheek-bones  with  him  and  other  types  of  his  tribe  were 
prominent  forwards,  but  not  unduly  broad  laterally,  so 

182 


TYPICAL  BRAZILIAN  PLATEAU. 
Showing  work  of  erosion. 


ON  THE  PLATEAU  OF  MATTO  GROSSO. 
Aleides  in  foreground. 


A FINE  RORORO  TYPE. 
On  a visit  to  author’s  camp. 


BORORO  CHARACTERISTICS 


that  the  face  in  front  view  was,  roughly  speaking,  of  a 
long  oval,  but  inclined  to  be  more  angular  — almost 
shield-shaped.  The  lips  were  medium-sized  and  firmly 
closed,  such  as  in  more  civilized  people  would  denote  great 
determination.  His  ears  were  covered  up  by  long,  jet- 
black  hair,  perfectly  straight  and  somewhat  coarse  in 
texture,  healthy-looking,  and  uniformly  scattered  upon 
the  scalp.  The  hair  was  cut  straight,  horizontally  high 
upon  the  forehead,  which  thus  showed  a considerable  slant 
backward  from  the  brow  to  the  base  of  the  hair.  A small 
pigtail  hung  behind  the  head.  The  hair  at  the  sides  was 
left  to  grow  down  so  as  fully  to  cover  the  lobes  of  the 
ears,  where  again  it  was  cut  horizontally  at  the  sides  and 
back  of  the  head.  The  top  of  the  head  was  of  great  height, 
quite  unlike  a Mongolian  cranium. 

The  eyes  — close  to  the  nose,  and  of  a shiny  dark 
brown  — had  their  long  axis  nearly  in  one  horizontal 
plane.  They  were  set  rather  far  back,  were  well  cut,  with 
thick  upper  eyelids,  and  placed  somewhat  high  up  against 
the  brow  ridges,  so  as  to  leave  little  room  for  exposure 
of  the  upper  lid  when  open. 

None  of  the  other  Indians,  who  had  gradually 
assembled,  wore  a particle  of  clothing,  barring  a tight, 
conical  collar  of  orange-coloured  fibre  encircling  their 
genital  organs  — so  tight  that  it  almost  cut  into  the  skin. 
Without  this  solitary  article  of  clothing  no  Indian  man 
will  allow  himself  to  be  seen  by  another,  less  still  by  a 
stranger.  But  with  so  modest  an  attire  he  feels  as  well- 
dressed  as  anybody.  I think  that  this  elegant  article  of 
fashion  must  have  originated  as  a sanitary  precaution, 
in  order  to  prevent  insects  of  all  kinds,  and  particularly 
carrapatos,  penetrating  within  — or  else  I was  really  at  a 
loss  to  understand  of  what  other  use  it  could  be.  They 
themselves  would  not  say,  and  only  replied  that  all  Bororo 
Indian  men  wore  it.  The  Indians  who  had  assembled  all 
belonged  to  the  Bororo  tribe. 

183 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


On  that,  as  well  as  on  later  occasions,  I noticed  two 
distinct  types  among  the  Bororos : one  purely  Papuan  or 
Polynesian;  the  other  strongly  Malay.  The  character- 
istics of  those  two  different  types  showed  themselves 
markedly  in  every  instance.  The  majority  were  perhaps 
of  the  Malay  type.  I was  intensely  interested  at  the 
astounding  resemblance  of  these  people  to  the  piratical 
tribes  of  the  Sulu  Archipelago  in  the  Celebes  Sea,  where, 
too,  one  meets  a considerable  amount  of  mixture  of  those 
two  types,  as  well  as  specimens  of  pure  types  of  the  two 
races. 

Among  the  Bororos  many  were  the  individuals  — of 
the  Malay  type  — who  had  the  typical  Malay  eye  a fleur 
de  tete,  prominent,  almond-shaped,  and  slightly  slanting 
at  the  outer  angle.  The  nose,  unlike  that  of  Papuan 
types,  was  flattened  in  its  upper  region  between  the  eyes, 
and  somewhat  button-like  and  turned  up  at  the  lower 
part;  just  the  reverse  of  the  Papuan  types,  who  had 
prominent  aquiline  noses  with  a high  bridge  and  globular 
point  turned  down  instead  of  up. 

The  lips  were  in  no  case  unduly  prominent,  nor  thick. 
They  were  almost  invariably  kept  tightly  closed. 

The  form  of  the  palate  was  highly  curious  from  an 
anthropological  point  of  view.  It  was  almost  rectangular, 
the  angles  of  the  front  part  being  slightly  wider  than  a 
right  angle. 

The  front  teeth  were  of  great  beauty,  and  were  not 
set,  as  in  most  jaws,  on  a more  or  less  marked  curve,  but 
were  almost  on  a straight  line,  the  incisors  being  almost 
absolutely  vertical  and  meeting  the  side  teeth  at  an  angle 
of  about  60°.  The  upper  teeth  overlapped  the  lower  ones. 

The  chin  was  well  developed  — square  and  flattened 
in  the  Papuan  types,  but  receding,  flat,  and  small  in  the 
Malay  types. 

Both  types  were  absolutely  hairless  on  the  face  and 
body,  which  was  partly  natural  and  partly  due  to  the 

184 


RACIAL  FEATURES 


tribal  custom  of  pulling  out  carefully,  one  by  one,  each 
hair  they  possessed  on  the  upper  lip  and  upon  the  body  — 
a most  painful  process.  The  women,  as  we  shall  see,  in 
sign  of  deep  mourning,  also  plucked  out  each  hair  of  the 
scalp. 

A striking  characteristic  of  the  head  in  Papuan  types 
was  the  great  breadth  of  the  maximum  transverse  of  the 
head,  and  the  undue  prominence  of  the  supra-orbital 
ridges.  Also,  the  great  height  of  the  forehead  and  its 
great  width  in  its  upper  part  were  typical  of  the  race. 
The  maximum  antero-posterior  diameter  of  the  skull  was 
equal,  in  many  cases,  to  the  vertical  length  of  the  head, 
taken  from  the  angle  of  the  jaw  to  the  apex  of  the  skull. 

The  ears  nearly  invariably  showed  mean,  under- 
developed lobes,  but,  strangely  enough,  were  otherwise 
well  shaped,  with  gracefully  defined  and  chiselled  curves. 
They  were  not  unduly  large,  with  a wonderfully  well- 
formed  concha,  which  fact  explained  why  the  acoustic 
properties  of  their  oral  organs  were  perfect.  They  made 
full  use  of  this  in  long-distance  signalling  by  means  of 
acute  whistles,  of  which  the  Bororos  had  a regular  code. 

The  favourite  form  of  earring  adopted  by  the  Bororos 
was  a brass  ring  with  a metal  or  shell  crescent,  not  unlike 
the  Turkish  moon,  but  I do  not  think  that  this  ornament 
was  of  Bororo  origin.  Very  likely  it  was  suggested  by 
the  cheap  jewellery  imported  into  Brazil  by  Turkish  and 
Syrian  traders. 

They  displayed  powerful  chests,  with  ribs  well  covered 
with  flesh  and  muscle.  With  their  dark  yellow  skins  they 
were  not  unlike  beautiful  bronze  torsi.  The  abdominal 
region  was  never  unduly  enlarged,  perhaps  owing  to  the 
fact  that  their  digestion  was  good,  and  also  because  they 
took  a considerable  amount  of  daily  exercise.  In  standing 
they  kept  their  shoulders  well  back,  the  abdominal  region 
being  slightly  in  front  of  the  chest.  The  head  was  usually 
slightly  inclined  downwards. 

185 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


The  feet  of  the  Bororos  of  the  Malay  type  were 
generally  stumpy,  but  this  was  not  so  with  the  higher 
Papuan  types,  who,  on  the  contrary,  had  abnormally 
long  toes  and  elongated  feet,  rather  flattened.  The 
Bororos  used  their  toes  almost  as  much  as  their  fingers, 
and  showed  great  dexterity  in  picking  up  things,  or  in 
spinning  twine,  when  their  toes  did  quite  as  much  work 
as  their  fingers. 

The  colour  of  the  iris  of  the  Bororo  eye  was  brown, 
with  considerable  discoloration  around  its  outer  periph- 
ery, and  especially  in  the  upper  part,  where  it  was 
covered  by  the  lid.  The  eyes  were  generally  kept  half 
closed. 

The  anatomical  detail  of  the  body  was  perfectly 
balanced.  The  arms  were  powerful,  but  with  fine,  well- 
formed  wrists,  exquisitely  chiselled,  as  were  all  the 
attachments  of  their  limbs.  They  had  quite  graceful 
hands,  long-fingered  — in  more  ways  than  one  — and 
wonderfully  well-shaped,  elongated,  convex-faced  nails, 
which  would  arouse  the  envy  of  many  a lady  of  Western 
countries.  The  webbing  between  the  fingers  was  infini- 
tesimal, as  with  most  Malay  races.  Great  refinement  of 
race  was  also  to  be  noticed  in  the  shape  of  their  legs,  which 
were  marvellously  modelled,  without  an  ounce  of  extra 
flesh,  and  with  small  ankles. 

The  Bororos  divided  themselves  into  two  separate 
families:  the  Bororo  Cerados  and  the  Bororo  Tugaregghi. 
The  first  descended  from  Baccoron;  the  second  claimed 
descent  from  Ittibori.  Baccoron  lived  where  the  sun  set, 
in  the  west;  Ittibori  dwelt  in  the  east. 

I heard  a strange  legend  in  connection  with  their 
origin,  in  which  they  seemed  proud  of  their  descent  from 
the  jaguar,  which  to  them  represented  the  type  of  virility. 
A male  jaguar,  they  said,  had  married  a Bororo  woman. 

A sensible  custom  existed  among  tbe  Bororos,  as 
among  the  Tuaregs  of  the  Sahara  desert  in  Africa.  The 

186 


BORORO  MEN,  SHOWING  LIP  ORNAMENT. 


BORORO  MEN. 


BORORO  INDIANS. 


AN  INTERESTING  CUSTOM 


children  took  the  name  of  the  mother  and  not  of  the  father. 
The  Bororos,  like  the  Tuaregs,  rightly  claimed  that  there 
could  be  no  mistake  as  to  who  the  mother  of  a child  was, 
but  that  certainty  did  not  always  apply  to  the  father. 
This  was  decidedly  a sensible  law  among  the  Bororos, 
who  were  most  inconstant  in  their  affections.  They  were 
seldom  faithful  to  their  wives,  at  least,  for  any  length  of 
time. 

The  Bororos  were  not  prolific.  They  frequently 
indulged  in  criminal  practices  in  order  to  dispose  of  their 
young:  either  by  strangulation  at  birth  or  soon  after,  or 
by  drugging  their  women  before  the  birth  of  the  child. 
The  young,  when  allowed  to  live,  took  milk  from  their 
mothers  until  the  ages  of  five  or  six  years.  The  parents 
were  extremely  kind  to  their  children;  indeed,  they  were 
extraordinarily  good-natured  and  considerate.  Eight 
days  after  birth  they  perforated  the  lower  lip  of  male 
children  and  inserted  a pendant,  taking  that  opportunity 
to  give  a name  to  the  child.  The  lobes  of  the  ears  were 
perforated  at  the  age  of  ten  or  twelve. 

It  was  only  at  the  age  of  about  twenty  that  men  were 
allowed  to  marry. 

I found  among  the  Bororos  an  interesting  custom 
which  I had  seen  but  once  before  — in  Central  Asia,  on 
the  slopes  of  the  Himalaya  Mountains,  among  the  Shoka 
tribesmen.  I am  referring  to  the  “ clubs,”  called  by  the 
Bororos  W ai  manna  ghetgiao.  There  the  young  men  and 
girls  went,  not  only  with  the  object  of  selecting  a wife  or 
husband,  but  also  to  get  thoroughly  acquainted  and  see 
if  the  mate  selected  were  suitable  or  not.  The  men  sat  on 
one  side  of  the  club-house  — a mere  hut  — the  women  on 
the  other.  In  a way,  these  clubs  prevented  hasty 
marriages,  for  the  men  were  given  plenty  of  time  to  study 
their  prospective  brides  and  the  girls  their  future  hus- 
bands. Curiously  enough,  in  the  Bororo  country  it  was 
generally  the  woman  who  proposed  to  the  man.  When 

187 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


the  official  engagement  was  made,  the  man  proceeded  to 
the  hut  of  his  sweetheart  and  brought  a gift  of  food  for 
her  and  her  mother.  If  the  gifts  were  accepted,  there  was 
no  other  formality  to  be  gone  through,  and  the  matri- 
monial ceremony  was  indeed  of  the  simplest  kind.  The 
man  took  away  the  girl  to  his  hut  and  they  were  man 
and  wife. 

The  cuisine  of  the  Bororos  was  not  attractive  to 
European  palate,  ears,  or  eyes.  One  of  the  favourite 
dishes  of  the  Bororos,  served  on  grand  occasions,  was  the 
mingao,  or  Indian  corn  chewed  up  into  a paste  inside 
their  mouths  by  women  and  then  displayed  before  the 
guests  in  earthen  pots  filled  with  fresh  water,  in  which 
it  was  then  cooked. 

The  Bororos  maintained  that  the  sun,  Cercado,  and 
the  moon,  Ittary,  were  two  brothers,  both  being  males. 

They  believed  in  a superior  Being,  the  essence  of 
goodness  and  kindness:  a Being  who  will  never  give  pain 
or  hurt  anybody;  therefore  the  Bororo,  who  was  really 
at  heart  a great  philosopher,  never  offered  prayers  to 
that  superior  Being.  Why  pray  and  worry  one  who  will 
never  injure  us?  they  argued. 

Then  they  believed  in  a wicked  and  revengeful  devil, 
the  Boppe , to  whom  constant  attention  was  paid  because 
by  him  was  caused  all  the  trouble  that  humans  can  have. 
Malady,  accidents,  disaster  in  love,  in  hunting  or  fish- 
ing expeditions  — for  all  these  the  devil  Boppe  was 
responsible. 

Then  they  had  also  another  evil  spirit  — the  Aroe 
Taurari  — who,  they  said,  often  assumed  the  appearance 
of  their  ancestors  in  order  to  come  and  watch  the  games 
of  the  Bororos,  such  as  wrestling  and  archery.  Wrestling, 
in  the  catch-as-catch-can  style,  was  one  of  their  favourite 
games.  They  were  very  agile  at  it.  Their  favourite  trick 
was  to  seize  each  other  across  the  shoulders,  each  en- 
deavouring to  trip  his  opponent  by  a twisted  leg  round 

188 


THE  TEST  OF  STRENGTH 


his  knee.  Children  in  the  oldejas  were  playing  at  this 
game  all  the  time.  In  the  Bororo  wrestling-matches,  it 
was  sufficient  to  be  thrown  down  to  be  the  loser,  and  it 
was  not  essential  to  touch  the  ground  with  both  shoulder- 
blades. 

The  only  other  game  I saw  among  the  Bororos  was 
the  test  of  strength.  It  was  carried  out  with  a most 
striking  article  — a great  wheel  made  of  sections,  each 
one  foot  long,  of  the  trunk  of  the  burity  palm  tied  to- 
gether by  double  strings  of  fibre.  The  ribbon  thus 
formed  by  them  was  rolled  so  as  to  make  a solid  wheel 
of  heavy  wood  six  feet  in  diameter.  The  whole  was 
retained  in  a circular  form  by  a strong  belt  of  vegetable 
fibre.  This  great  wheel  was  used  by  the  Bororos  in 
their  sports,  at  festivals,  for  testing  the  strength  of 
the  most  powerful  men.  It  was  so  heavy  that  few 
men  could  lift  it  at  all,  the  great  test  being  actually 
to  place  it  on  one’s  head  and  keep  it  there  for  a length 
of  time. 

The  Indians  of  South  America,  like  the  Indians  of 
North  America,  revelled  in  decorating  themselves  with 
the  feathers  of  brightly-coloured  birds.  The  red,  yellow, 
and  blue  giant  macaws,  fairly  common  in  that  region,  paid 
dearly  for  this  fashion  of  the  Indians.  Many  of  those 
poor  birds  were  kept  in  captivity  and  plucked  yearly  of 
all  their  feathers,  in  order  to  make  hair  ornaments  of 
beautiful  blue  and  green  plumage  for  the  leading 
musician,  who  rattled  the  bacco  (a  gourd  full  of  pebbles 
which  can  make  a terrible  noise) , or  else  armlets,  earrings, 
or  necklaces.  Some  of  the  designs  woven  with  the  tiniest 
feathers  of  those  birds  were  quite  clever,  and  required 
delicate  handling  in  their  manufacture.  Ducks,  too, 
supplied  many  of  the  feathers  for  the  ornaments  of  the 
Bororos. 

Their  cooking  utensils  were  simple  enough:  merely  a 
few  large  earthen  bowls,  badly  baked  and  unglazed,  the 

189 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


largest  of  which  was  seldom  more  than  two  feet  in 
diameter.  They  broke  easily,  being  made  extremely 
thin. 

The  Bororos  made  basket-work  by  plaiting  dried 
palm-leaves,  but  their  most  interesting  work  of  all 
consisted  in  the  really  beautifully  made  fishing-nets. 
Nearly  all  the  Indians  of  South  America  showed  remark- 
able talent  and  patience  at  this  work.  The  strings  were 
twisted  of  a vegetable  fibre,  extremely  resistant,  and 
eminently  suitable  by  its  softness  and  regularity  of 
diameter. 

Whether  owing  to  excitement,  indigestion,  or  other 
causes,  the  Bororos  had  visions,  which  they  attributed  to 
the  Aroe  Taurari.  In  a certain  way  they  were  believers 
in  the  transmigration  of  the  soul,  not  generally,  but  in 
specific  cases. 

There  were  certain  Bororos  who,  by  magic  songs, 
professed  to  fascinate  animals  in  the  forest  and  were  able 
to  catch  them.  The  barih  or  medicine-man  generally 
assisted  in  those  incantations. 

The  Bororos  were  remarkable  walkers.  They  were 
extremely  light  on  their  feet  and  had  a springy  gait,  most 
graceful  to  watch.  A striking  characteristic  of  these 
people  was  that,  when  standing,  unlike  nearly  every  other 
tribe  of  savages  I have  seen,  they  spread  their  toes  outward 
instead  of  keeping  both  feet  parallel.  To  a lesser  extent 
the  feet  were  held  in  that  position  also  when  walking. 
The  suppleness  of  their  bodies  gave  them  a great  advan- 
tage in  penetrating  with  ease  anywhere  in  the  forest 
without  having  to  cut  their  way  through. 

Both  men  and  women  were  passionately  fond  of 
dancing,  although  their  dancing  had  not  reached  any 
degree  of  perfection.  With  a strip  of  burity  palm  upon 
their  shoulders  they  hopped  around,  monotonously  chant- 
ing, with  a rhythmic  occasional  jump,  the  women  fol- 
lowing the  men. 


190 


BORORO  MEN. 

The  aprons  have  been  added. 


BORORO  WARRIORS. 


BOROIIO  WARRIORS. 


AN  EXHAUSTED  RACE 


The  women  possessed  considerable  endurance.  They 
could  carry  heavy  weights  for  long  distances  by  means  of 
a fibre  headband  resting  on  the  forehead.  Under  those 
circumstances  the  body  was  kept  inclined  slightly  for- 
ward. Children  were  also  carried  in  a similar  fashion  in 
a sling,  only,  less  practically  than  among  many  Asiatic 
and  African  tribes,  the  Bororo  children  were  left  to  dangle 
their  legs,  thereby  increasing  the  difficulty  of  carrying 
them,  instead  of  sitting  with  legs  astride  across  the 
mother’s  haunches.  I was  amazed  to  see  until  what  age 
Bororo  mothers  and  sisters  would  carry  the  young  upon 
their  shoulders;  certainly  children  of  five  or  six  years  of 
age  were  being  carried  about  in  this  fashion,  while  such 
hard  duties  as  pounding  Indian  corn,  thrashing  beans, 
and  hut-building,  were  attended  to. 

Neither  in  women  nor  in  men  was  the  power  of 
resistance  in  any  way  to  be  compared  with  that  of  the 
tribes  of  Central  Africa  or  Asia.  The  Indian  tribes  of 
Brazil  impressed  one  as  being  strong,  because  one  com- 
pared them  with  their  neighbours  and  masters,  the 
Brazilians,  who  were  physically  one  of  the  weakest,  least- 
resisting  races  I have  ever  seen.  When  you  compared 
them  with  some  of  the  healthy  savage  races  elsewhere, 
the  Indians  did  not  approach  them  in  endurance  and 
quickness  of  intellect.  Do  not  forget  that  endurance  is 
greatly  due  to  brain  power  and  self-control.  The  Indian 
races  I saw  in  Brazil  seemed  to  me  almost  exhausted 
physically,  owing  perhaps  to  constant  intermarriage 
among  themselves.  The  eyesight  of  the  Bororos,  for 
instance,  was  extremely  bad.  There  were  many  in  every 
aldeja  who  were  almost  or  absolutely  blind.  The  others 
were  nearly  all  shortsighted. 

The  Bororos  removed,  pulled  out,  in  fact,  their 
eyelashes  one  by  one,  as  they  believed  it  improved  their 
sight,  especially  for  seeing  at  long  distances.  They  all 
suffered  more  or  less  from  complaints  of  the  eyes.  In- 

191 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


deed,  I have  seldom  found  races  whose  members  had  eyes 
in  such  poor  condition.  Conjunctivitis  was  the  most 
prevalent  form  of  eye  disease.  Ophthalmia  was  fre- 
quently met  with.  They  seemed  to  have  no  efficacious 
method  of  curing  those  comjdaints,  and  the  result  was 
that  one  found  an  appalling  number  of  blind  or  half-blind 
persons  among  them,  quite  out  of  proportion  to  the  small 
population.  The  Bororos  did  not,  of  course,  know  of 
spectacles  or  any  other  way  of  protecting  the  eyes.  Even 
when  their  eyes  were  in  a normal  condition,  they  nearly 
all  had  some  defect  of  vision.  Squinting  was  frequently 
to  be  noticed  among  them,  and  nearly  invariably  uneven- 
ness of  the  eyes.  Cataract  was  common  at  a comparatively 
early  age,  and  they  knew  no  remedy  for  it.  An  abnor- 
mally marked  discoloration  of  the  upper  part  of  the  iris 
was  constantly  to  be  noticed,  even  in  young  people. 
Among  the  healthiest,  I never  saw  one  man  or  woman 
with  extraordinary  powers  of  vision  such  as  are  most 
common  among  savage  tribes  of  Asia  and  Africa.  The 
diseased  condition  of  their  blood  was  also  perhaps  to  a 
certain  extent  responsible  for  this. 

Their  hearing  was  good,  but  not  much  more  acute  than 
with  the  average  European,  and  infinitely  inferior  to  that 
of  the  natives  of  Asia  and  Africa.  They  suffered  con- 
siderably from  the  most  terrible  of  blood  complaints, 
general  among  them,  also  from  leprosy,  and  various  skin 
troubles. 

The  Bororos  made  considerable  use  of  the  urucu  plant 
( Bixa  orellana  L.)  which  they  called  nonoku,  from  the 
fruit  of  which  they  obtained  a brilliant  red  colouring 
matter  for  tinting  their  hows  and  arrows.  The  shell  of 
the  fruit  contained  a number  of  shiny  seeds,  which,  when 
squashed,  exuded  a vivid  red  juice.  It  adhered  easily  to 
the  skin  of  the  forehead  and  cheeks,  for  which  purpose  also 
the  Indians  extensively  used  it. 

The  black  paint  which  the  Indians  used  for  smearing 

192 


THUMB-MARKS 


themselves  across  the  forehead,  cheeks,  and  upon  the 
shoulders,  from  side  to  side,  was  made  to  stick  to  the  skin 
and  shine  by  mixing  it  with  a resin. 

The  Bororos  of  the  Rio  Barreiros  district  carried  five 
arrows  each  with  them,  but  each  family  of  Bororos  used 
a special  colour  and  also  a different  number  of  arrows,  so 
that  no  particular  rule  could  be  laid  down  for  the  entire 
tribe.  The  red  tinted  arm-band  which  most  men  wore 
was  called  the  aguasso. 

Before  starting  on  a hunting  expedition  of  importance, 
the  Bororos  usually  indulged  in  a feast. 

I took  a great  number  of  thumb-marks  among  them, 
some  of  which  were  remarkable  for  the  precision  of  the 
spiral  lines  from  the  central  point,  all  over  the  thumb 
point.  Others,  in  the  longer  thumbs,  showed  a peculiar 
deviation  in  the  curve  at  the  end,  near  the  point  of  the 
thumb.  Where  the  lines  began  to  deviate,  the  triangle 
formed  was  filled  in  by  other  lines  joining  those  of  the 
spiral  at  sharp  angles. 

The  experiments  with  the  dynamometer  in  order  to 
measure  their  strength,  the  anthropometric  measurements 
with  a calliper,  and  the  printing  of  the  thumb-marks, 
caused  the  Bororos  first  of  all  great  anxiety,  then  boister- 
ous amusement.  They  looked  upon  it  all  as  utter  nonsense 
— in  a way  I did  not  blame  them  — and  repeatedly  asked 
why  I did  it.  I told  them  that  I did  it  to  find  out  where 
they  came  from. 

“ We  are  not  monkeys,”  said  they;  “ we  do  not  walk 
on  our  hands.  If  that  is  your  object,  you  should  look 
at  our  foot-marks  on  the  ground,  not  at  the  marks  of  our 
hands!” 

With  these  words,  from  a tracker’s  point  of  view,  the 
local  wit  set  the  entire  company  in  shrieks  of  laughter  at 
his  quick  repartee. 

“ Oh,  yes!  ” said  I;  “ but  with  the  thumb-mark  I may 

perhaps  trace,  not  only  where  you  come  from  but  also 

vol.  i. -is  193 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


where  your  great-grandfather,  who  is  now  dead,  came 
from.” 

That  was  too  much  for  them.  All  had  been  anxious 
to  make  a smudge  with  smoke-black  upon  my  note-book. 
Now  they  all  refused  to  do  any  more  thumb-marking  and 
walked  away;  but  I had  fortunately  already  acquired  the 
marks  I needed  from  them. 

The  Bororos,  in  fact,  most  Indian  tribes  of  Central 
Brazil,  knew  nothing  whatever  of  navigation.  This  was 
chiefly  due  to  the  fact  that  all  the  woods  of  Central  Brazil 
had  so  high  a specific  gravity  that  not  one  of  them  would 
float.  Hence  the  impossibility  of  making  rafts,  and  the 
greatly  increased  difficulty  in  making  boats.  As  for 
making  dug-outs,  the  Indians  had  neither  the  patience 
nor  the  skill  nor  the  tools  to  cut  them  out  of  solid  trees. 
Moreover,  there  was  really  no  reason  why  the  Indians 
should  take  up  navigation  at  all,  when  they  could  do 
very  well  without  it.  They  could  easily  get  across  the 
smaller  streams  without  boats,  and  they  were  too  timid 
to  go  and  attack  inimical  tribes  on  the  opposite  banks  of 
unfordable  rivers.  Besides,  the  Indians  were  so  few  and 
the  territory  at  their  entire  disposal  so  great,  that  there 
was  no  temptation  for  them  to  take  up  exploring, 
particularly  by  water. 

They  were  all  good  swimmers.  When  the  river  was 
too  deep  to  ford,  they  merely  swam  across ; or  else,  if  the 
river  were  too  broad  and  swift,  they  improvised  a kind 
of  temporary  raft  with  fascines  or  bundles  of  dried  burity 
leaves,  to  which  they  clung,  and  which  they  propelled  with 
their  feet.  These  fascines  were  quite  sufficient  to  keep 
them  afloat  for  a short  time,  enabling  them  also  to  convey 
a certain  amount  of  goods  across  the  water. 

In  other  countries,  such  as  in  Central  Africa,  among 
the  Shilucks  and  the  Nuers  of  the  Sobat  River  (Sudan), 
and  the  natives  on  Lake  Tchad,  I have  seen  a similar 
method  adopted  in  a far  more  perfected  fashion.  The 

194 


NAVIGATION  UNKNOWN 


Shilucks,  for  instance,  cleverly  built  big  boats  of  fascines, 
large  enough  to  carry  a great  number  of  warriors.  Such 
was  not  the  case  with  the  bundles  of  burity  of  the  Indians, 
which  merely  served  for  one  or  at  the  most  two  people  at 
a time,  and  then  only  until  the  bundle  became  soaked, 
when  it  went  to  the  bottom. 


195 


CHAPTER  XV 

Bororo  Superstitions  — The  Bororo  Language  — Bororo  Music 

THE  Bororos  were  superstitious  to  a degree.  They 
believed  in  evil  spirits.  Some  of  these,  they  said, 
inhabited  the  earth;  others  were  invisible  and  lived 
“ all  over  the  air,”  to  use  their  expression.  The  aerial 
ones  were  not  so  bad  as  those  on  earth.  It  was  to  the 
latter  that  their  invocations  were  made,  not  directly,  but 
through  a special  individual  called  the  barili,  a kind  of 
medicine  man,  who,  shouting  at  the  top  of  his  voice  while 
gazing  skyward,  offered  gifts  of  food,  meat,  fish,  and 
grain  to  the  boppe  or  spirits  invoked.  There  were  two 
kinds  of  barili:  a superior  one  with  abnormal  powers,  and 
an  inferior  one.  The  barih  eventually  pretended  that  the 
spirit  had  entered  his  body.  He  then  began  to  devour 
the  food  himself,  in  order  to  appease  the  hunger  of  his 
internal  guest  and  become  on  friendly  terms  with  him. 
The  wife  of  the  barili,  who  on  those  occasions  stood  by 
his  side,  was  generally  asked  to  partake  of  the  meal,  but 
only  after  the  barili  had  half  chewed  the  various  viands, 
when  he  gracefully  took  them  with  his  fingers  from  his 
own  mouth  and  placed  them  between  the  expectant  lips 
of  his  better  half.  She  sometimes  accepted  them,  some- 
times not.  All  according  to  her  appetite,  I suppose,  and 
perhaps  to  the  temporary  terms  on  which  she  was  that  day 
with  her  husband. 

The  Bororos,  curiously  enough,  spoke  constantly  of 
the  hippopotamus  — ajie,  as  they  called  it — and  even 

196 


THE  AJIE 


imitated  to  perfection  the  sounds  made  by  that  amphibious 
animal.  This  was  indeed  strange,  because  the  hippopota- 
mus did  not  exist  in  South  America,  nor  has  it  ever  been 
known  to  exist  there.  The  women  of  the  Bororos  were 
in  perfect  terror  of  the  ajie,  which  was  supposed  to 
appear  sometimes,  breaking  through  the  earth.  Per- 
sonally, I believed  that  the  ajie  was  a clever  ruse  of  the 
Bororo  men,  in  order  to  keep  their  women  at  home  when 
they  went  on  hunting  expeditions.  Boys  were  trained  to 
whirl  round  from  the  end  of  a long  pole  a rectangular, 
flat  piece  of  wood  attached  to  a long  fibre  or  a string. 
Its  violent  rotation  round  the  pole  reproduced  to  per- 
fection the  sounds  of  blowing  and  snorting  of  the 
hippopotamus.  The  whizzing  of  this  device  could  be  heard 
at  astonishing  distances.  The  credulous  women  were 
rendered  absolutely  miserable  when  they  heard  the  un- 
welcome sounds  of  the  ajie,  and,  truly  believing  in  its 
approach,  retired  quickly  to  their  huts,  where,  shivering 
with  fright,  they  cried  and  implored  to  have  their  lives 
spared. 

The  boy  who  whirled  the  magic  tablet  was,  of  course, 
bound  to  keep  the  secret  of  the  ajie  from  the  women.  Let 
me  tell  you  that  one  of  the  chief  virtues  of  the  Bororo 
men,  old  and  young,  was  the  fidelity  with  which  they  could 
keep  secrets.  The  youngest  children  were  amazing  at 
keeping  secrets  even  from  their  own  mothers.  There  were 
things  that  Bororo  women  were  not  allowed  to  know. 
Boys  attended  the  tribal  meetings  of  men,  and  had  never 
been  known  to  reveal  the  secrets  there  discussed,  either 
to  their  sisters  or  mothers. 

When  I said  it  was  a virtue,  I should  have  added  that 
that  virtue  was  a mere  development  of  an  inborn,  racial 
instinct.  Young  and  old  among  the  Bororo  were  ex- 
tremely timid  and  secretive  by  nature.  They  feared 
everybody;  they  were  afraid  of  each  other.  It  was 
sufficient  to  watch  their  eyes,  ever  roaming,  ever  quickly 

197 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


attracted  and  pointing  sharply  at  anything  moving 
anywhere  about,  to  be  satisfied  of  the  intense  suspicious- 
ness of  these  people. 

The  Bororos  were  restless  nomads  and  could  never 
settle  anywhere.  They  were  always  on  the  move  — 
hunting,  fishing,  and  formerly  on  warlike  expeditions  with 
other  tribes.  They  showed  great  skill  with  their  arrows, 
which  they  threw  with  wonderful  accuracy  even  under 
conditions  of  unusual  difficulty.  When  fishing,  for 
instance,  they  showed  remarkable  calculating  powers  when 
the  line  of  vision  became  deviated  by  the  surface  of  the 
water  and  made  it  difficult  to  judge  the  exact  position 
of  the  fish  at  different  depths.  Their  long  arrows  had  a 
double-barbed,  bone  head,  which  was  poisoned  when 
fighting  men. 

The  Bororos  were  not  quarrelsome  by  nature;  on  the 
contrary,  they  were  dignified  and  gentle.  They  always 
avoided  fighting.  It  was  only  when  driven  to  it,  or  when 
hunted  down  or  attacked,  that  they  naturally  endeavoured 
to  defend  themselves.  This  has  brought  upon  them  the 
reputation  of  being  barbarous  and  cruel  savages.  Even 
among  themselves  they  seldom  quarrelled;  they  never 
offended  one  another  with  words.  They  had  great  respect 
for  their  elders. 

At  night  the  men  collected  in  the  village.  One  of 
them  spoke  aloud  to  the  crowd,  delivering  a regular  lecture 
on  the  events  of  the  day,  their  hunting  or  fishing  adven- 
tures, or  tribal  affairs.  The  greatest  attention  was  paid 
to  the  orator,  and  after  his  speech  was  over  a warm 
but  orderly  discussion  followed. 

When  a Bororo  man  was  angry  with  another,  he 
would  not  descend  to  vulgar  language,  but  he  generally 
armed  himself  with  a bony  spike  of  that  deadly  fish,  the 
raja  ( Bhinobates  batis)  or  mehro,  as  it  was  called  in  the 
Bororo  language,  which  he  fastened  to  a wristlet.  With 
it  he  proceeded  in  search  of  his  enemy,  and  on  finding  him, 

198 


THE  GREATEST  INSULT 


inflicted  a deejD  scratch  upon  his  arm.  This  was  considered 
by  the  Bororos  the  greatest  insult  a man  could  offer. 

Women,  as  in  most  other  countries,  quarrelled  more 
than  men.  Not  unlike  their  Western  sisters,  they  always, 
under  such  circumstances,  yelled  at  the  top  of  their  voices, 
and  then  resorted  to  the  effective  and  universal  scratching 
process  with  their  long,  sharp  nails. 

It  will  he  judged  from  this  that  it  will  not  quite  do  to 
put  down  the  Bororos  as  being  as  tame  as  lambs.  Indeed, 
at  the  first  look  at  their  faces  one  is  at  once  struck 
by  the  cruel  expression  upon  them.  They  prided  them- 
selves greatly  on  having  killed  members  of  rival  tribes, 
and  more  still  upon  doing  away  with  Brazilians.  In  the 
latter  case  it  was  pardonable,  because  until  quite  recently 
the  Brazilians  have  slaughtered  the  poor  Indians  of  the 
near  interior  regions  in  a merciless  way.  Now,  on  the 
contrary,  the  Brazilian  Government  goes  perhaps  too  far 
the  other  way  in  its  endeavour  to  protect  the  few  Indians 
who  still  remain  within  the  Republic. 

The  more  accessible  tribes,  such  as  the  insignificant 
ones  on  the  Araguaya,  were  having  a good  time,  valuable 
presents  of  clothes  they  did  not  want,  phonographs,  sew- 
ing machines,  fashionable  hats,  patent  leather  shoes,  auto- 
matic pistols  and  rifles  being  showered  upon  them  by 
expensive  expeditions  specially  sent  out  to  them.  It  no 
doubt  pleased  an  enthusiastic  section  of  the  Brazilian 
public  to  see  a photograph  of  cannibal  Indians  before  they 
met  the  expedition,  without  a stitch  of  clothing  upon  their 
backs  — or  fronts,  to  be  accurate  — and  by  its  side  another 
photograph  taken  half  an  hour  later  and  labelled  “ In- 
dians civilized  and  honoured  citizens  of  the  Republic,”  in 
which  you  saw  the  same  Indians,  five  or  six,  all  dressed 
up  and,  it  may  be  added,  looking  perfectly  miserable,  in 
clothes  of  the  latest  fashion.  It  would  have  been  interest- 
ing to  have  taken  a third  photograph  an  hour  after  the 
second  picture  had  been  taken,  in  order  to  show  how  soon 

199 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

civilization  — if  donning  a pair  of  trousers  and  shoes  and 
a collar  and  tie  can  be  called  being  civilized  — can  be 
discarded. 

The  news  bad  spread  by  word  of  mouth  down  the 
Araguaya  many  months  before  that  a Brazilian  expedi- 
tion woidd  be  sent  out  with  gifts,  in  order  to  befriend 
the  Indians,  supposed  to  be  innumerable,  but  only  a few 
dozens,  all  counted,  in  reality.  Seeing  no  expedition 
arrive,  five  or  six  of  the  Indians  proceeded  to  travel  some 
hundreds  of  miles  to  find  it.  The  expedition,  for  lack 
of  money,  had  remained  stuck  in  a certain  town.  It  was 
in  that  town  that  the  valuable  photographs  were  taken. 
No  sooner  had  they  said  good-bye  to  their  generous 
donors  than  the  Indians  left  the  city,  quickly  removed 
their  clothes,  which  they  exchanged  for  a few  drinks  of 
aguardiente  (fire-water),  and,  as  naked  as  before, 
returned  to  the  shores  of  their  beloved  river. 

Nevertheless  the  movement  of  the  Brazilian  Govern- 
ment was  extremely  praiseworthy  and  did  it  great  credit. 
Like  all  movements  of  that  kind,  it  was  bound  to  go  to 
excesses  in  the  beginning,  especially  in  Brazil,  where 
people  were  very  generous  when  they  were  generous  at  all. 
So  far  the  fault  has  been  on  the  right  side.  It  will  un- 
doubtedly prevent  in  the  future  much  severe,  even  cruel 
treatment  which  has  been  bestowed  on  the  Indians. 

It  was  a great  pity,  a very  great  pity,  that  this  move- 
ment for  the  protection  of  the  Indians  had  been  started 
only  when  there  were  few  pure  Indians,  almost  none, 
left  to  protect.  According  to  Brazilian  statements,  the 
wild  Indians  of  Central  Brazil  amounted  to  some  fifteen 
or  twenty  millions  or  thereabouts!  A few,  very  few, 
thousands,  perhaps  only  hundreds,  would  be  nearer  the 
truth.  There  were  no  great  tribes  left  in  their  absolutely 
wild  state  anywhere  in  Brazil.  There  were  a few  small 
tribes  or  families  scattered  here  and  there,  but  it  was 
seldom  that  these  tribes  numbered  more  than  twenty  or 

200 


THE  IIORKO«S  OF  PHOTOGRAPHY.  BORORO  CHILDREN. 


BORORO  CHILD. 

Showing  strong  Malay  characteristics. 


MIGRATIONS  OF  RACES 


thirty  members.  If  the  tribe  numbered  fifty  individuals,  it 
was  already  a large  tribe.  Most  of  them  contained  merely 
six  or  eight  members.  So  that  really,  in  the  population  of 
Brazil,  these  tribes,  instead  of  being  the  chief  factor,  were 
in  fact  a negligible  quantity.  It  would  be  rash  to  make 
a statement  as  to  the  exact  number  of  wild  Indians  in 
Brazil,  for  in  a country  so  big,  larger,  as  I have  already 
stated,  than  the  United  States  of  America,  Germany, 
Portugal,  and  a few  other  States  taken  together  — and 
most  of  which  was  little  known  or  absolutely  unknown  — 
it  was  not  easy  to  produce  an  exact  census. 

During  my  journey,  which  crossed  that  immense 
country  in  a zigzag  from  one  end  to  the  other  in  its 
broader  width,  and  covered  all  the  most  important  regions 
of  the  Republic,  I became  assured  that  few  indeed  were 
the  pure  Indians  to  be  found  in  Central  Brazil.  One  went 
hundreds  and  hundreds  of  miles  without  meeting  signs 
of  them;  and  that  in  localities  where  they  were  supposed 
to  be  swarming.  The  Bororos,  a few  dozens  of  them,  all 
counted,  in  two  or  three  different  subdivisions,  were  per- 
haps the  strongest  wild  tribe  in  all  the  immense  State 
of  Matto  Grosso. 

As  I have  said,  I was  greatly  impressed,  from  my 
first  contact  with  the  Bororos,  by  the  strongly  Polynesian 
appearance  of  some  of  them.  The  more  specimens  I saw, 
the  more  I became  convinced  that  they  were  of  the  same 
race.  In  fact,  I began  to  speculate  whether  the  people 
of  Australia  and  Polynesia  had  migrated  here  or  whether 
it  was  just  the  other  way,  which  theory  might  also  be 
plausibly  upheld,  viz.:  that  the  people  of  Central  South 
America  had  migrated  to  the  west,  into  Polynesia  and 
Australia.  Many  theories  have  been  expounded  of  how 
races  always  follow  certain  rules  in  their  migrations, 
but  in  my  own  experience  I find  that  those  theories 
are  not  invariably  correct.  Again,  it  does  not  do  to 
rely  too  much  on  the  resemblance  of  words  in  establishing 

201 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


a relationship  between  two  or  more  races.  Nor,  indeed, 
can  one  trust  absolutely  to  the  resemblance  in  the  rudi- 
mentary ornamentation  of  articles  of  use.  If  you  happen 
to  be  a student  of  languages,  and  have  studied  dozens  of 
them,  you  will  soon  discover  Iioav  words  will  travel  across 
entire  continents.  They  can  often  be  traced  back  to  their 
origin  by  the  knowledge  of  intermediate  languages 
through  which,  with  distortions,  those  words  have  passed. 
In  Central  Africa  I actually  heard  words  of  Mongolian 
origin,  and  not  only  that,  but  even  traced  Mongolian 
characteristics  in  the  type  of  the  ruling  classes  of  natives, 
as  well  as  in  the  construction  of  their  language. 

It  is  easy  to  be  occasionally  misled.  I remember  on 
my  journey  across  Africa  how  amazed  I was  at  first  at 
hearing  some  Tonkinese  expressions  used  by  the  native 
cannibals.  I really  could  not  get  over  my  amazement  until 
I learnt  that  some  years  previously  a number  of  Tonkinese 
convicts  had  been  sent  up  the  Congo  and  Ubanghi  rivers 
by  the  French.  Several  of  them  had  lived  in  that  particu- 
lar village  of  cannibals  for  some  years.  Hence  the 
adoption  of  certain  words  which  had  remained  in  frequent 
use,  whereas  the  Tonkinese  individuals  had  disappeared. 

I took  special  care  in  Brazil,  when  making  a vocabu- 
lary of  the  Bororo  and  other  Indian  languages,  to  select 
words  which  I ascertained  were  purely  Indian  and  had 
not  been  contaminated  by  either  imported  Portuguese 
words  or  words  from  any  other  language.  I was  much 
struck  by  the  extraordinary  resemblance  of  many  words 
in  the  language  of  the  Indians  of  Central  Brazil  to  the 
Malay  language  and  to  languages  of  Malay  origin,  which 
I had  learnt  in  the  Philippine  Islands  and  the  Sulu 
Archipelago. 

For  instance:  the  Sun,  which  is  called  in  Malay 
mata-ari,  usually  abbreviated  into  ’ari,  was  in  the  Bororo 
language  metiri,  and  in  the  language  of  the  Apiacar  In- 
dians of  the  Arinos-Juruena  river,  ahra,  which  indeed 

202 


THE  BORORO  LANGUAGE 


closely  resembles  the  Malay  word.  Moreover,  the  word 
ahri  in  the  Bororo  language  indicated  the  moon — a most 
remarkable  coincidence.  It  became  slightly  distorted  into 
zahir  in  the  Apiacar  language. 

Water,  which  is  poba  in  Bororo  and  uha  in  Apiacar, 
was  curiously  enough  iihaig  in  the  Bagobo  language 
(Mindanao  Island),  po-heh  or  bo-heh  in  the  Bajao  lan- 
guage (Mindanao  Island),  ayer  in  Malay,  and  uhayeg 
in  Tiruray  (west  coast  of  Mindanao  Island,  Philippine 
Archipelago ) . 

Father  was  bapa  in  Malay,  and  p>ao  in  Bororo. 
Many  were  the  words  which  bore  a slight  resemblance, 
as  if  they  had  been  derived  from  the  same  root.  Lang  an, 
arm,  in  Malay,  was  ankan-na  or  akkan-na.  Ear,  in  the 
Ilocano  language  (Philippine  Archipelago)  was  cabayag ; 
aviyag  in  Bororo.  Hair  in  Ilocano,  bodk,  in  Manguianes 
bohoc,  and  in  Sulu  (Sulu  Archipelago)  bulinc;  in  Bororo 
it  was  akkao,  which  might  easily  be  a corruption  of  the 
two  former  words. 

I was  greatly  interested,  even  surprised,  to  find  that 
although  those  Indians  lived  thousands  of  miles  on  every 
side  from  the  sea,  and  had  never  seen  it,  yet  they  talked 
of  the  pobbo  mae  re  u — the  immense  water:  ( pobbo , 
water;  mae,  great;  re,  the;  u,  an  expression  of  magnifi- 
cation such  as  our  oh) . 

It  was  also  interesting  to  note  that  they  had  specific 
words  for  water  of  streams,  words  which  we  do  not  possess 
in  the  English  language,  complete  as  our  language  is,  such 
as  down-stream,  and  up  or  against-stream  — like  the 
French  en  aval  and  en  amont.  The  Bororo  used  tche 
begki,  down-stream,  and  tcheo  bugkii,  up-stream. 

The  Bororo  language  was  rudimentary  in  a way, 
yet  most  complete  and  extremely  laconic,  with  innumer- 
able contractions.  The  construction  of  sentences  and  the 
position  of  the  verb  were  not  unlike  those  of  Latin 
languages. 


203 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


The  chief  wealth  of  the  Bororo  language  consisted  in 
its  nouns.  Like  all  savage  languages,  it  was  wonderfully 
rich  in  botanical  and  zoological  terms.  The  gender  was 
formed  by  a suffix,  the  masculine  differing  from  the 
feminine. 

There  were  in  the  Bororo  language  three  genders, 
masculine,  feminine,  and  neuter.  The  masculine  was 
formed  by  adding  the  words  ckireu,  curl,  or  curireu , to 
the  noun;  the  feminine  by  the  suffixes  chireuda  and 
curireuda.  There  were  many  words  which  were  used 
unaltered  for  either  gender.  In  the  case  of  animals,  the 
additional  words  medo,  male,  or  aredo,  female,  clearly 
defined  the  sex,  in  specific  cases  where  the  names  would 
otherwise  he  ambiguous.  Inanimate  objects  had  no  sex, 
and  were  therefore  neuter. 

Most  nouns  had  a plural  as  well  as  a singidar,  but 
there  were  exceptions  to  this  rule,  such  as  names  of  certain 
plants  and  animals,  the  sky,  the  wind,  etc.;  not  to  count 
things  which  were  generally  taken  collectively,  such  as 
flies,  ruque;  macaw  or  macaws,  nabure , etc. 

The  plural  was  made  by  the  suffixes  doghe  or  maghe 
— the  maghe  being  used  principally  in  possessive  cases, 
such  as  tori-doghc , stones;  padje-maghe,  our  mothers. 
Exceptions  to  this  rule  were  the  words  ending  in  bo,  co, 
go,  or  mo,  to  which  the  suffix  e was  sufficient  to  form  the 
plural;  whereas  in  those  terminating  in  do  or  no,  ro,  or 
other  consonants,  the  o was  suppressed  and  an  e placed  in 
its  stead.  Example:  jomo,  otter,  jomoe,  otters;  cuno, 
parrot,  cune,  parrots;  apodo,  or  tucan  (a  bird),  apode, 
tucans,  etc. 

There  were  a number  of  irregular  exceptions,  such 
as  aredo,  wife;  areme,  wives;  medo,  man,  ime,  men.  Per- 
haps the  most  curious  of  plurals  was  ore,  sons,  the  singular 
of  which  was  anareghedo  (son). 

The  words  ending  in  go  generally  formed  the  plural 
with  an  interchangeable  ghe. 

204 


THE  VERB 


The  pronouns  were: 


imi  =T 
aki  = thou 
ema  = he  or  she 


she glii  or  paghi  = we 
taghi  = you 

emaghi  — they 


When  immediately  before  a verb  these  were  abbreviated 
into  I or  it,  a or  ac,  e or  ei,  pa  or  pag,  ta  or  tag,  e or  et 
— - 1,  thou,  he  or  she,  we,  you,  they,  according  to  their 
preceding  a vowel  or  a consonant.  With  words  beginning 
with  a consonant  only  the  first  syllable  of  the  pronoun  was 
used. 

The  verb  itself  did  not  vary  in  the  various  persons, 
but  it  did  vary  in  its  tenses  by  suffixes,  sometimes  after 
the  pronoun,  sometimes  after  the  verb.  In  the  present 
tense  the  Bororos  generally  used  for  the  purpose  the 
word  nure,  usually  between  the  pronoun  and  the  verb,  with 
the  pronoun  occasionally*  repeated  after  the  nure;  but  in 
general  conversation,  which  was  laconic,  the  pronoun  was 
frequently  suppressed  altogether  — similarly  to  the  fre- 
quent omission  of  the  pronoun  in  the  English  telegraphic 
language. 

There  were  various  other  forms  of  pronouns,  but  I 
could  not  quite  define  their  absolute  use  — such  as  the 
tclied  or  tcheghi,  which  seemed  to  include  everybody, 
corresponding  to  the  English  we  in  orations  which  in- 
cludes the  entire  audience,  or  the  whole  nation,  or  even 
the  entire  human  race. 

The  Bororo  language  was  complete  enough,  the  con- 
jugation of  verbs  being  clearly  defined  into  past,  present, 
imperative,  and  future. 

The  past  was  formed  by  interpolating  between  the 
pronoun  and  verb  the  words  re  gurai,  generally  abbrevi- 
ated into  re.  The  imperative  was  made  chiefly  by  the 
accentuation  of  the  words,  and  was  susceptible  of  in- 
flexion in  the  second  person  singular  and  plural.  The 
future  was  formed  by  adding,  sometimes  after  the 


205 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


pronoun,  sometimes  after  the  verb,  the  words  modde, 
uo,  or  ua. 

At  the  end  of  the  second  volume,  in  the  Appendix, 
will  be  found  a vocabulary  of  useful  words  needed  in 
daily  conversation  which  I collected  during  my  visit  to 
the  Bororos.  I had  made  a much  more  complete  dic- 
tionary of  their  language,  in  a book  which  I kept  for  the 
purpose,  but  unfortunately  the  book  was  lost  with  a great 
many  other  things,  in  an  accident  I had  some  months  later 
on  the  Arinos  River. 

It  was  not  possible  to  say  that  the  Bororos  shone  in 
intelligence.  It  was  seldom  one  found  an  individual  who 
could  count  beyond  two.  Everything  in  the  Bororo 
country  was  reckoned  in  couples,  with  the  aid  of  fingers, 
thumbs,  and  toes.  The  learned  coidd  thus  reach  up  to 
twenty,  or  ten  pair,  hut  beyond  twenty  no  Bororo  dared 
venture  in  his  calculations.  They  had  no  written  lan- 
guage, no  sculptures  or  paintings,  no  carved  idols.  Their 
artistic  talent  seemed  limited  to  occasionally  incising 
rudimentary  representations  of  horns,  footprints,  and  line 
figures  on  rocks. 

They  showed  great  skill  in  the  manufacture  of  their 
arrows,  which  were  indeed  constructed  on  most  scientific 
lines,  and  were  turned  out  with  wonderful  workmanship. 
The  arrows  were  from  four  to  five  feet  long,  and  were 
chiefly  remarkable  for  the  intelligent  and  highly  scientific 
disposition  of  the  two  balancing  parrot  feathers,  gently 
bent  into  a well-studied  spiral  curve,  so  as  to  produce  a 
rotary  movement,  united  with  perfect  balance,  in  the 
travelling  weapon.  The  arrows  were  manufactured  out 
of  hard,  beautifully  polished  black  or  white  wood,  and 
were  provided  with  a point  of  bamboo  one  third  the  length 
of  the  entire  arrow.  That  bamboo  point  was  tightly 
fastened  to  the  rod  by  means  of  a careful  and  very 
precisely  made  contrivance  of  split  cane  fibre. 

The  Bororos  used  various-shaped  arrow-heads,  some 

206 


THE  SONGS  OF  THE  BOROROS 


triangular,  others  flattened  on  one  side  with  a raised  rib 
on  the  opposite  side,  others  triangular  in  section,  with 
hollowed  longitudinal  grooves  in  each  face  of  the  triangle 
in  the  pyramid,  making  the  wound  inflicted  a deadly  one. 
Others,  more  uncommon,  possessed  a quadruple  barbed 
point  of  bone. 

The  favourite  style  of  arrows,  however,  seldom  had  a 
point  broader  in  diameter  than  the  stick  of  the  arrow. 

The  music  of  the  Bororos  — purely  vocal  — had  three 
different  rhythms:  one  not  unlike  a slow  waltz,  most 
plaintive  and  melancholy ; the  second  was  rather  of  a loud, 
warlike  character,  vivacious,  with  ululations  and  modula- 
tions. The  third  and  most  common  was  a sad  melody, 
not  too  quick  nor  too  slow,  with  temporary  accelerations 
to  suit  words  of  a more  slippery  character  in  their 
pronunciation,  or  when  sung  in  a pianissimo  tone. 

The  songs  of  the  Bororos  could  be  divided  into 
hunting  songs,  war  songs,  love  songs,  and  descriptive 
songs  and  recitatives. 

They  were  fond  of  music  in  itself,  and  possessed  fairly 
musical  ears.  They  were  able  to  retain  and  repeat  melo- 
dies quite  foreign  to  them.  Their  hearing  was  acute 
enough  to  discern,  with  a little  practice,  even  small 
intervals,  and  they  could  fairly  accurately  hit  a note  which 
was  sung  to  them.  They  had  flexible  voices,  quite  soft  and 
musical,  even  in  conversation. 

In  males,  as  far  as  I was  able  to  judge,  baritone  voices 
were  the  most  prevalent;  in  female  voices,  soprano. 
Their  typical  songs  were  chiefly  performed  in  a chorus 
by  men  only,  although  once  or  twice  I heard  solos,  which, 
nevertheless,  always  had  a refrain  for  the  chorus.  The 
Bororos  sang  in  fair  harmony  more  than  in  unison,  keep- 
ing regular  time,  and  with  occasional  hass  notes  and  noises 
by  way  of  accompaniment.  They  possessed  no  musical 
instruments  of  any  importance,  a most  primitive  flute, 
and  one  or  several  gourds  filled  with  seeds  or  pebbles, 

207 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


being,  as  far  as  I could  trace,  the  only  two  musical 
instruments  among  them. 

Their  songs  contained  progressions  in  chromatic 
intervals.  Those  progressions  were  not  only  frequently 
repeated  in  the  same  melody,  but  some  of  the  favourite 
ones  recurred  in  several  of  their  melodies.  They 
frequently  broke  from  one  key  into  another,  not  gradu- 
ally or  with  modulations,  but  very  abruptly.  There  were 
constant  and  sudden  changes  in  the  tempo  of  their 
melodies,  accelerations  being  frequently  caused  by  excite- 
ment in  the  performers,  by  incidents  occurring,  by  anger 
or  other  passions  being  aroused.  They  had  no  set  rules, 
nor,  of  course,  any  written  music.  The  melodies  were 
sung  according  to  the  temporary  feelings  of  the  per- 
formers, who  occasionally  adorned  their  performances 
with  variations.  Practically  they  improvised,  if  led  by  a 
musical  talent,  as  they  went  along.  Still,  mind  you,  even 
when  they  improvised,  the  character  of  the  songs  was  the 
same,  although  they  may  have  added  so  many  variations 
and  embellishments  to  the  theme  as  to  make  it  impossible 
to  identify  them.  Furthermore,  no  two  choruses  ever 
sang  the  same  songs  alike,  nor  did  the  same  chorus 
sing  the  same  song  twice  alike.  There  were  in  their 
melodies  great  changes  in  the  degree  of  loudness.  Those 
changes  generally  were  gradual,  although  often  extremely 
rapid. 

The  Bororos  seemed  to  be  greatly  carried  away  by 
music,  which  had  upon  them  quite  an  intoxicating  effect. 
There  were  certain  high  notes  and  chords  in  a minor  key 
which  had  a great  attraction  for  them,  and  which  con- 
stantly recurred  in  their  melodies  and  their  lengthy 
ululations.  Some  of  the  notes  had  undoubtedly  been  sug- 
gested by  the  song  of  local  birds  and  by  sounds  of  wild 
animals.  The  Bororos  were  good  imitators  of  sounds, 
which  they  could  often  reproduce  to  perfection.  They 
were  observant  with  their  ears  — much  more  so  than  with 

208 


BORORO  CHIEF 

Rattling  gourds  filled  with  pebbles,  in  order  to  call  members  of  his  tribe. 


IMITATIVE  POWERS 


their  eyes.  Even  in  conversation  the  Bororos  would  often 
repeat,  accurately  enough,  noises  they  heard  around  them, 
such  as  the  crashing  of  falling  trees,  of  rushing  water,  of 
distant  thunder,  or  foreign  words  which  caught  their 
fancy.  I was  amazed  at  their  excellent  memory  in  that 
direction. 

There  were  no  professional  musicians  in  the  Bororo 
country  in  the  strict  sense  of  the  word,  the  barih  being 
the  only  person  who  might,  at  a stretch,  be  put  down  as 
one.  Nor  was  anybody  taught  music.  They  were  one 
and  all  musicians  without  knowing  it,  or  at  least  thought 
they  were,  a belief  not  monopolized  by  the  Bororos  only. 
They  all  sang.  They  learned  to  sing  gradually  by 
hearing  and  imitating  their  elders. 

I think  that  with  the  Bororos  the  steps  of  their  dances 
had  been  suggested  by  the  rhythm  of  the  music,  and  not 
the  other  way  round.  They  preferred  music  to  dancing, 
for  which  latter  exercise  they  showed  little  aptitude. 
Although  their  melodies  would  appear  appallingly  mel- 
ancholy to  European  ears,  it  did  not  follow  that  they  were 
so  to  them.  On  the  contrary,  some  which  had  a most 
depressing  effect  on  me  — and  I felt  like  throwing  at 
them  anything  handy  but  heavy  to  interrupt  the  melody 
— seemed  to  send  the  performers  into  a state  of  absolute 
beatitude.  They  kept  up  those  melodies  interminably, 
repeating  the  same  short  theme  dozens  of  times,  hundreds, 
in  fact,  if  nothing  happened  to  stop  them.  When 
once  they  had  started  on  one  of  those  songs,  it  was 
difficult  to  switch  them  on  to  another.  They  loved  to 
hear  it  again  and  again. 

The  time  of  their  music  was  “ common  ” time,  slightly 
modified  according  to  the  wording  of  the  song.  It  gen- 
erally altered  into  a triple  time  when  the  words  were  of  a 
liquid  quality  in  their  pronunciation,  and  a dual  time  when 
sung  low  and  slowly. 

When  singing,  especially  during  ululations,  the 

vol.  i.  — 14  209 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


Bororos  swung  their  bodies  forward  and  backward,  not 
unlike  the  howling  dervishes  of  Egypt,  uttering  occasional 
high  and  strident  notes.  This  was  generally  done  before 
starting  en  masse  on  a hunt,  when  a feast  also  took  place. 

The  women  never  joined  in  the  songs,  but  the  boys 
did.  Even  if  their  voices  were  not  powerful  enough  to 
produce  lengthy  ululations,  they  spiritedly  took  part  in 
the  violent  undulations  of  the  body. 

The  Bororos  were  great  lovers  of  minute  detail.  So 
it  was  that,  in  their  music,  strange,  weird  effects  were 
attempted,  wonderfully  complicated. 

Bororo  singing  occasionally  took  the  form  of  a 
recitative,  with  the  chorus  joining  in  the  refrain  — this 
principally  when  chanting  the  merits  of  a deceased  per- 
son, or  during  some  calamity  in  the  aldeja,  or  village. 

The  musical  instruments  I was  able  to  find  in  the 
various  settlements  of  Bororos  I visited  consisted  chiefly 
of  single,  double,  or  treble  gourds,  the  latter  with  perfora-1 
tions  at  the  two  ends,  used  as  wind  instruments  and  pro- 
ducing deep  bass  notes.  The  single  gourd  had  a cane  at- 
tachment intended  to  emit  shrill  high  notes.  Then  there 
were  other  dried  gourds  filled  with  pebbles,  which  rattled 
as  they  were  shaken  at  the  end  of  a long  handle  to  which 
the  gourds  were  fastened. 

The  cane  flutes  were  slightly  more  elaborate,  with 
ornaments  of  rings  of  black  feathers.  There  was  only  one 
rectangular  slit  in  the  centre  of  the  flute,  so  that  only  one 
note  coidd  be  produced  — as  was  the  case  with  most  of 
their  rudimentary  musical  instruments. 


210 


CHAPTER  XVI 

Bororo  Legends  — The  Religion  of  the  Bororos  — Funeral  Rites 


THE  Bororos  believed  in  spirits  of  the  mountains  and 
the  forest,  which  haunted  special  places  in  order  to 
do  harm  to  living  beings.  Those  spirits  came  out 
at  night.  They  stole,  ill-treated,  and  killed.  In  rocks, 
said  the  Bororos,  dwelt  their  ancestors  in  the  shape  of 
parrots.  The  Bororos  were  greatly  affected  by  dreams 
and  nightmares,  which  they  regarded  as  events  that  had 
actually  happened  and  which  generally  brought  bad  luck. 
They  were  often  the  communications  of  evil  spirits,  or  of 
the  souls  of  ancestors.  The  Bororos  had  many  supersti- 
tions regarding  animals,  which  they  individualized  in 
their  legends,  giving  them  human  intelligence,  especially 
the  colibri  ( humming-bird ) , the  macaw,  the  monkey,  the 
deer,  and  the  leopard. 

The  stars,  according  to  these  savages,  were  all 
Bororo  boys.  Let  me  give  you  a strange  legend  concern- 
ing them. 

“ The  women  of  the  aldeja  had  gone  to  pick  Indian 
corn.  The  men  were  out  hunting.  Only  the  old  women 
had  remained  in  the  aldeja  with  the  children.  With  an 
old  woman  was  her  nephew,  playing  with  a bow  and  arrow. 
The  arrows  had  perforated  sticks,  which  the  boy  filled  with 
Indian  corn.  When  the  boy  had  arrived  home,  he  had 
asked  his  grandmother  to  make  a kind  of  j)olenta  with 
Indian  corn.  He  had  invited  all  the  other  boys  of  the 
aldeja  to  come  and  eat.  While  the  grandmother  was 
cooking,  the  children  played,  and  between  themselves 

211 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


decided  to  go  to  heaven.  In  the  aldeja  there  lived  an  old 
woman  and  a red  macaw.  Both  could  speak.  The  boys, 
having  eaten  the  polenta,  cut  off  the  woman’s  arms,  tongue, 
and  eyes,  and  tore  out  the  tongue  of  the  speaking  bird. 
Having  done  this,  they  went  into  the  forest,  where  they 
found  a liana  twisted  into  innumerable  steps  (in  the 
Bororo  language,  ippare,  young;  kugure,  multitude; 
groiya,  step).  They  could  not  speak  for  fear  of  drawing 
attention,  nor  ask  any  one  for  help.  They  had  taken  the 
precaution  of  setting  free  all  the  captive  birds  in  the 
aldeja,  and  they  had  flown  away,  except  the  pio  duddu 
(the  colibri),  which  they  took  with  them  into  the  forest. 
The  boys  gave  a long  liana,  like  a rope,  to  the  colibri, 
requesting  him  to  fasten  it  to  the  top  of  the  highest  tree, 
and  another  long  liana  which  he  must  tie  to  the  sky,  where 
they  all  wished  to  ascend.  The  colibri  tied  the  vegetable 
ropes  as  requested,  and  all  the  boys  climbed  up. 

“ The  mothers,  missing  their  children,  went  to  the 
old  woman  and  the  speaking  macaw. 

“‘Where  are  our  children?’  said  they  in  a chorus. 

“No  answer.  They  were  horrified  when  they  per- 
ceived the  mutilated  woman  and  bird.  They  rushed  out 
of  the  hut  and  saw  the  children  — up  — up  — high,  like 
tiny  spots,  climbing  up  the  liana  to  heaven.  The  women 
went  to  the  forest,  to  the  spot  where  the  boj^s  had  pro- 
ceeded on  their  aerial  trip,  and  showing  the  breasts  that 
had  milked  them,  entreated  them  to  come  down  again. 
The  appeal  was  in  vain.  The  mothers,  in  despair,  then 
proceeded  to  follow  their  children  skyward  up  the  liana. 

“ The  youthful  chieftain  of  the  plot  had  gone  up  last. 
When  he  perceived  the  mothers  gaining  on  them,  he  cut 
the  liana.  With  a sonorous  bump,  the  mothers  dropped 
in  a heap  to  the  ground.  That  was  why  the  Bororo 
women  were  resigned  to  see  their  sons  in  heaven,  forming 
the  stars,  while  they,  the  women  themselves,  remained  the 
transmigrated  souls  of  their  mothers  upon  earth.” 

212 


BORORO  GIRLS. 


BORORO  WOMEN. 


7 


WOMEN.  BOROROS  SHOWING  FORMATION  OF  HANDS. 


BORORO  LEGENDS 


The  Bororos  also  said  that  the  stars  were  the  houses 
of  deceased  children. 

They  believed  that  the  sky  vault,  or  heaven,  formed 
part  of  the  earth,  and  was  inhabited.  They  proved  this 
by  saying  that  the  vulture  could  be  seen  flying  higher  and 
higher  until  it  disaj)peared.  It  went  to  perch  and  rest 
upon  trees  in  heaven.  The  Milky  W ay  in  the  sky  — the 
kuyedje  e ’ redduddo  (literally  translated  “ stars  they 
cinders”) — consisted  for  them  merely  of  the  flying 
cinders  from  the  burning  stars. 

The  sun,  they  stated,  was  made  up  entirely  of  dead 
barih,  or  medicine-men,  who  rose  daily  with  red-hot  irons 
before  their  faces.  The  barihs  prowled  about  the  earth  at 
night,  and  went  to  the  east  in  the  morning  on  their  return 
to  the  sun.  The  hot  irons  held  by  the  barihs  were  merely 
held  in  order  to  warm  the  people  on  earth.  At  sunset 
the  orb  of  day  “ came  down  to  the  water  ” beyond  the 
horizon,  and  from  there  marched  back  to  the  east.  The 
Bororos  maintained  that  the  heavy  and  regular  footsteps 
of  the  sun  walking  across  the  earth  at  night  could  be  heard 
plainly. 

The  moon,  which  was  masculine  to  the  Bororos,  was 
the  brother  of  the  sun,  and  was  similarly  the  home  of 
barihs  of  minor  importance. 

The  legends  of  the  Bororos  were  generally  long  and 
somewhat  confused.  They  were  the  outcome  of  ex- 
tremely imaginative  and  extraordinarily  retentive  minds. 
Their  imagination  frequently  ran  away  with  them,  so 
that  it  was  not  always  easy  to  transcribe  the  legends  so 
as  to  render  them  intelligible  to  the  average  reader, 
unaccustomed  to  "the  peculiar  way  of  thinking  and 
reasoning  of  savages.  Yet  there  was  generally  a certain 
amount  of  humorous  vraisemblance  in  their  most  im- 
possible stories.  Their  morals,  it  should  be  remembered, 
were  not  quite  the  same  as  ours.  There  were  frequently 
interminable  descriptive  details  which  one  could  on  no 

213 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


account  reproduce  in  print,  and  without  them  much  of  the 
point  of  the  legends  would  be  lost.  So  that,  with  the 
confusion  and  disorder  of  ideas  of  the  Bororos,  their 
peculiar  ways  of  expression,  and  the  mutilation  necessary 
so  as  not  to  shock  the  public,  the  legends  were  hardly 
worth  reproducing.  Still,  I shall  give  here  one  or  two 
of  the  more  interesting  legends,  which  can  be  reproduced 
almost  in  their  entirety. 

“ The  sun  and  moon  (two  brothers,  according  to  the 
Bororos)  while  hunting  together  began  to  play  with 
arrows  with  blunt  heads,  such  as  those  used  by  Bororos 
for  catching  birds  alive.  They  hit  each  other  in  fun,  but 
at  last  the  sun  shot  one  arrow  with  too  much  force  and 
the  moon  died  from  the  effects  of  the  wound.  The  sun, 
unconcerned,  left  his  dying  brother  and  continued  hunt- 
ing; but  afterwards  returned  with  medicinal  leaves  which 
he  placed  on  the  wound  of  the  moon.  According  to 
Bororo  fashion,  he  even  covered  the  dying  brother  entirely 
with  leaves,  when  he  saw  his  approaching  end.  When  he 
discovered  that  the  moon  was  dead,  he  became  frightened 
and  left.  That  is  why  the  moon,  which  when  alive  was 
once  as  bright  as  the  sun,  is  now  of  less  splendour.  It  is 
because  it  is  dead,  and  the  sun  is  still  alive.” 

The  Bororos  firmly  believed  that  formerly  the  world 
Avas  peopled  by  monkeys.  This  Avas  rather  an  interesting 
legend,  as  it  Avould  point  out  that  the  Bororos,  in  any 
case,  were  aware  that  the  Avorld  was  once  inhabited  bjr  a 
hairy  race,  which  they  called  monkeys.  It  is  quite 
remarkable  that  a similar  legend  was  found  among  many 
of  the  tribes  of  the  Philippine  Islands  and  Sulu  Archi- 
pelago, and  along  the  coast  of  the  Eastern  Asiatic 
continent.  The  Bororos  stated  that  they  learnt  from 
monkeys  how  to  make  a fire.  Monkeys  were  their 
ancestors.  The  whole  world  was  peopled  by  monkeys  in 
those  days.  Monkeys  made  canoes,  too. 

“ One  day  a monkey  and  a hare  went  fishing  together 

214 


THE  MONKEY  AND  THE  JAGUAR 


in  a canoe  in  which  they  had  taken  a good  supply  of 
Indian  corn.  While  the  monkey  was  paddling,  the  hare 
was  eating  up  all  the  corn.  When  the  corn  had  been 
entirely  disposed  of,  in  its  irresistible  desire  to  use  its 
incisors,  the  hare  began  to  gnaw  the  sides  of  the  canoe. 
The  monkey  reprimanded  the  hare,  and  warned  it  that 
the  canoe  would  sink,  and  as  the  hare  was  not  a good 
swimmer  it  would  probably  get  drowned,  or  he  eaten  by 
fish  which  swarmed  in  the  stream.  The  hare  would  not 
listen  to  the  advice,  and  continued  in  its  work  of  destruc- 
tion. A hole  was  bored  in  the  side  of  the  canoe,  which 
promptly  sank.  The  hare,  being  a slow  swimmer,  accord- 
ing to  Bororo  notions,  was  immediately  surrounded  by 
swarms  of  doviado  (gold  fish)  and  speedily  devoured. 
The  monkey,  an  excellent  swimmer,  not  only  was  able  to 
save  its  life,  but,  seizing  a big  fish,  dragged  it  on  shore. 

“ A jaguar  came  along  and,  licking  its  paws,  asked 
whether  the  monkey  had  killed  the  fish  for  its  (the 
jaguar’s)  dinner. 

“ ‘ Yes,’  said  the  monkey. 

Where  is  the  fire  for  cooking  it?  ’ replied  the  jaguar. 

“ The  sun  was  just  setting.  The  monkey  suggested 
that  the  jaguar  should  go  and  collect  some  dried  wood 
in  order  to  make  the  fire.  The  sun  was  peeping  through 
the  branches  and  foliage  of  the  forest.  The  jaguar  went, 
and  returned  with  nothing;  but  in  the  meantime  the 
monkey,  with  two  pieces  of  soft  wood,  had  lighted  a fire 
and  eaten  the  fish,  leaving  a heap  of  bones.  When  the 
jaguar  arrived,  the  monkey  leapt  in  a few  jumps  to  the 
top  of  a tree. 

“ ‘ Come  down!  ’ said  the  jaguar. 

Certainly  not!  ’ said  the  monkey.  Upon  which  the 
jaguar  requested  its  friend  the  Wind  to  shake  the  tree 
with  all  its  fury.  The  Wind  did,  and  the  monkey  dropped 
into  the  jaguar’s  mouth,  from  which  it  immediately  passed 
into  the  digestive  organs.  The  monkey  little  by  little 

215 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


moved  its  arms  in  the  close  quarters  in  which  it  found 
itself,  and  was  able  to  seize  the  knife  which  it  carried, 
in  the  most  approved  Bororo  fashion,  slung  across  its 
back.  Armed  with  this,  it  split  the  jaguar’s  belly  and 
resumed  its  daily  occupation  of  jumping  from  tree  to 
tree.” 

I was  able  to  record  yet  another  strange  legend  on 
the  preservation  of  fire. 

“ An  otter,”  said  the  legend,  “ in  days  long  gone  by, 
had  with  great  difficulty  lighted  a fire  on  the  bank  of  a 
river.  The  sun  first  came  to  warm  itself  by  the  fire,  and 
while  the  otter  had  gone  on  one  of  its  aquatic  expeditions, 
the  moon  arrived  too.  The  sun  and  moon  together,  feeling 
in  a mischievous  mood,  put  out  the  fire  with  water  not 
extra  clean.  Then  they  ran  for  all  they  were  worth.  The 
otter,  feeling  cold,  came  out  of  the  water  and,  to  its 
amazement,  found  the  fire  had  been  extinguished. 

“‘Who  did  it?’  cried  the  furious  otter,  wishing  to 
kill  whoever  had  put  the  fire  out.  While  its  anger  was 
at  its  highest,  the  otter  perceived  a toad,  which  was  accused 
of  extinguishing  the  fire  because  its  legs  were  as  red 
as  fire. 

“ ‘ Do  not  kill  me ! ’ appealed  the  toad.  ‘ Put  your 
feet  on  my  belly.’  The  request  was  at  once  granted. 
The  toad  opened  its  mouth  wide,  and  with  the  pressure 
of  the  otter’s  paws  upon  its  body,  a burning  coal  was 
ejected  from  its  interior  anatomy.  The  otter  spared  the 
toad’s  life  in  recognition  of  its  services  in  preserving  the 
fire.  That  is  why  the  otter  and  the  toad  have  been 
friends  ever  since.” 

It  was  not  easy  to  collect  legends  from  the  Bororos, 
as  only  few  of  them  were  inclined  to  speak.  The  same 
legend  I found  had  many  variations,  according  to  the 
more  or  less  imaginative  mind  of  the  narrator. 

Here  is  an  extraordinary  explanation  of  the  origin  of 
lightning. 


216 


I 


THE  ORIGIN  OF  LIGHTNING 

“ A boy  had  violated  his  own  mother.  His  father, 
discovering  the  misdeed  and  wishing  to  punish  him 
severely,  in  fact,  get  rid  of  the  boy  altogether,  sent  him 
to  several  dangerous  places  to  collect  various  things  for 
him,  such  as  wild  fruit,  etc.  The  son,  fearing  disaster, 
went  to  his  grandmother  for  help.  She  in  turn  called 
first  one  bird  and  then  another  for  their  advice.  The 
father  had  sent  his  son  to  fetch  some  small  gourds  ( bappo 
rogo) , which  grew  floating  on  or  suspended  above  the 
water  of  a lagoon.  But  the  lagoon  was  filled  with  the 
souls  of  deceased  Bororos  and  evil  spirits.  In  the  first 
instance  the  grandmother  begged  for  the  help  of  the 
pio  duddo  (or  colibri) . This  obliging  bird  accompanied 
the  boy  to  the  lagoon  and,  flying  over  the  water,  with  its 
beak  cut  the  twigs  of  the  small  gourds,  and  one  by  one 
brought  them  to  the  boy,  who  had  wisely  remained  on 
dry  land  in  order  not  to  be  seized  by  the  evil  spirits 
which  lay  concealed  in  the  water.  When  the  bird  was 
about  to  bring  the  dried  gourds  back,  the  seeds  which 
were  inside  rattled  and  aroused  the  evil  spirits  of  the 
lagoon.  Up  they  all  sprang;  but  the  colibri  was  too 
swift  for  them,  and  the  gourds  were  safely  delivered  to 
the  boy.  The  boy  brought  them  to  his  father,  who, 
amazed  at  seeing  his  son  still  alive,  sent  him  next  to  fetch 
some  large  gourds,  such  as  those  used  by  the  barih  at 
funerals  and  in  high  ceremonies. 

“ The  boy  went  once  more  to  his  grandmother,  and 
she  this  time  recommended  him  to  a dove  (metugo) . 
When  the  dove  and  the  boy  arrived  at  the  lake,  the  dove 
cut  some  large  gourds,  but,  unfortunately,  in  so  doing 
made  a noise.  The  soids  and  evil  spirits  of  the  lake  leapt 
out  and  dispatched  numerous  arrows  to  kill  the  dove, 
but,  as  luck  would  have  it,  dove  and  bappo  (gourds) 
escaped  unhurt.  The  boy  handed  the  large  gourds  to 
his  astounded  father,  who  could  not  imagine  how  the  boy 
had  escaped  death  a second  time. 

217 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


“ The  Bororos  used  in  their  dances  the  nails  of  wild 
pigs,  which  they  attached  to  their  feet  in  order  to  produce 
a noise  something  like  castanets.  That  ornament  was 
called  a button . 

“ The  father  next  ordered  his  son  to  go  and  bring 
back  a complete  set  to  form  a button.  For  some  reason 
or  other,  according  to  the  legend,  the  button  was  also 
found  suspended  over  the  lagoon  swarming  with  souls 
and  evil  spirits.  The  grandmother  on  this  occasion  ad- 
vised the  son  to  accept  the  services  of  a large,  beautifully 
coloured  locust,  called  by  the  Bororos  mannori.  The 
mannori,  however,  made  so  much  noise  while  on  its  errand 
that  it  became  riddled  with  arrows  from  the  angry  spirits 
of  the  lake.  To  this  day,  say  the  Bororos,  you  can  see 
a lot  of  white  spots  all  over  the  body  of  the  mannori. 
Each  marks  the  spot  of  a former  wound.  But  the 
mannori,  too,  faithfully  delivered  the  foot  ornaments  to 
the  youth.  The  youth  brought  them  to  his  father,  who, 
in  amazement  and  vicious  anger,  ordered  his  son  to  go 
with  him  on  the  mountain  to  seize  the  nest  of  the  cibae 
(vulture).  According  to  the  notions  of  the  Bororos,  the 
souls  of  their  dead  transmigrate  into  the  bodies  of  birds 
and  other  animals. 

“ The  young  fellow  again  paid  a visit  to  his  wise 
grandmother,  who  was  this  time  greatly  upset.  She 
handed  him  a stick  and  requested  him  to  insert  it  at  once 
into  the  vulture’s  nest,  when  they  had  arrived  in  the 
hollow  in  the  rock  where  the  nest  was.  The  boy  departed 
with  his  father  up  the  precipitous  mountain  side.  When 
they  had  nearly  reached  the  nest  the  father  placed  a long 
stick  across  a precipice  and  ordered  his  son  to  climb  on 
it  and  seize  the  nest.  The  son  duly  climbed,  carrying 
with  him  his  grandmother’s  stick.  When  he  had  reached 
the  top,  the  father  did  all  he  could  to  shake  the  son  down 
into  the  chasm,  and  even  removed  the  long  stick  on 
which  he  had  climbed.  But  the  lucky  boy  had  already 

218 


LIZARDS  AND  VULTURES 


inserted  his  grandmother’s  stick  into  the  crevasse  and 
remained  suspended,  while  the  father,  really  believing 
that  he  had  at  last  succeeded  in  disposing  of  his  son,  gaily 
returned  to  the  aldeja  (village).  The  son,  taking  advan- 
tage of  a liana  festooned  along  the  rock,  was  able  to  climb 
to  the  very  summit  of  the  mountain.  There,  tired  and 
hungry,  he  improvised  a bow  and  arrow  with  what 
materials  he  could  find,  and  killed  some  lizards.  He 
ate  many,  and  hung  the  others  to  his  belt.  He  went  fast 
asleep.  With  the  heat,  the  fast  decomposing  lizards  began 
to  smell.  The  odour  attracted  several  vultures,  which 
began  to  peck  at  him,  especially  in  the  softer  parts  behind 
(for  he  was  sleeping  lying  on  his  chest  and  face,  as  Bororos 
generally  do).  The  boy  was  too  tired  and  worn  to  be 
awakened.  The  vultures  then  seized  him  by  his  belt  and 
arms,  and,  taking  to  flight,  soared  down  and  deposited 
him  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain.  There  the  boy  woke  up, 
famished.  His  supply  of  lizards  had  been  eaten  by  the 
vultures.  He  searched  for  fruit  and  ate  some,  but  he 
could  not  retain  his  food  owing  to  injuries  caused  him 
by  the  vultures.”  (Here  a good  portion  of  the  legend  has 
to  be  suppressed.) 

“ As  best  he  could,  the  boy  went  to  look  for  the  aldeja, 
but  it  had  vanished.  He  walked  for  several  days,  unable 
to  find  traces  of  his  tribe.  At  last  he  found  the  footmarks 
which  they  had  left  upon  their  passage.  He  followed 
them,  and  came  to  a fire  freshly  made,  left  by  the  Indians. 
He  went  on  until  he  identified  the  footmarks  showing 
where  his  grandmother  had  gone.  He  made  sure  they 
were  hers  by  the  extra  mark  of  her  stick  on  the  ground. 
With  the  assistance  of  a lizard,  then  of  a big  bird,  then  of 
a rat,  then  of  a butterfly,  he  discovered  the  whereabouts 
of  the  old  lady.  He  was  by  then  an  old  man.  Upon 
perceiving  his  grandmother,  he  again  became  a boy,  and 
hurried  on,  making  a noise  that  she  might  know  him 
again.  She  asked  another  nephew : ‘ Look  and  see  who  is 

219 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


behind ! ’ The  nephew  turned  round  and  recognized  his 
eldest  brother  — who  was  also  his  father.  The  grand- 
mother embraced  him  tenderly. 

“ The  eldest  fellow  persuaded  his  grandmother  and 
brother  not  to  return  to  the  aldeja  where  he  had  suffered 
so  much  from  the  hands  of  his  father. 

They  have  made  me  suffer,’  he  said,  ‘ and  I shall 
take  my  revenge.  Come  with  me,  and  we  shall  all  be 
happy  together.’ 

“ They  went  to  a beautiful  spot.  He  climbed  a 
mountain,  and  from  there  proceeded  to  produce  lightning, 
thunder,  and  wind,  which  exterminated  the  rest  of  the 
tribe  in  the  aldeja.  That  is  why,  when  the  Bororos  see 
lightning,  they  say  that  it  is  some  one’s  vengeance  coming 
upon  them.” 

In  the  Bororo  language,  lightning  was  called  boeru 
goddo  or  “ angry  people  ” ; thunder  was  bai  gabe 
when  near,  and  boya  ruru  — or  deaf  sound  — when 
distant. 

The  Bororos  related  an  interesting  legend  of  a great 
flood  or  deluge. 

“ One  night  a Bororo  went  with  his  bow  and  arrows 
to  the  river  in  order  to  fish,  at  a spot  where  a cane  snare 
or  trap  had  been  made  in  the  stream.  He  killed  a sacred 
fish.  No  sooner  had  he  done  this  than  the  water 
immediately  began  to  rise.  He  was  scarcely  able  to  get 
out  of  the  water  and  run  up  the  mountain  side,  lighting 
his  way  with  the  torch  of  resinous  wood  he  had  used  in 
order  to  attract  the  fish  while  fishing.  The  water  kept 
almost  overtaking  him,  it  rose  so  rapidly.  He  called  out 
to  the  Bororos  of  his  tribe  to  make  their  escape,  as  the 
water  would  soon  drown  them,  but  they  did  not  believe 
him,  and  consequently  all  except  himself  perished.  When 
he  reached  the  summit  of  the  mountain,  he  managed  to 
light  a big  fire  just  before  the  rising  water  was  wetting 
the  soles  of  his  feet.  He  was  still  shouting  in  vain  to  all 

220 


THE  DELUGE 


the  Bororos  to  run  for  their  lives.  The  water  was  touch- 
ing his  feet,  when  he  thought  of  a novel  expedient.  He 
began  to  remove  the  red-hot  stones  which  had  lain  under 
the  fire  and  threw  them  right  and  left  into  the  water. 
By  rapid  evaporation  (at  the  contact  of  the  hot  missiles,  it 
is  to  be  presumed,  as  the  legend  does  not  say)  the  water 
ceased  to  rise.  In  fact,  the  water  gradually  retired,  and 
the  Bororo  eventually  returned  to  the  spot  where  he  had 
left  the  tribesmen.  All  were  dead.  He  went  one  day 
into  the  forest  and  he  found  a doe,  which  had  in  some 
mysterious  way  escaped  death,  and  he  took  her  for  his 
wife.  From  this  strange  union  were  born  children  who 
were  hornless  and  quite  human,  except  that  they  were 
very  hairy.  After  a few  generations  the  hair  entirely 
disappeared.  That  was  how  the  Bororo  race  was 
preserved.” 

That  extraordinary  legend  was,  to  my  mind,  a very 
interesting  one,  not  in  itself,  but  from  several  facts  which 
in  its  ignorant  language  it  contained.  First  of  all,  the 
knowledge  of  the  Bororos  concerning  a former  hairy  race 
— a hairy  race  referred  to  in  legends  found  all  over  the 
Eastern  Asiatic  coast  and  on  many  of  the  islands  in  the 
Pacific  from  the  Kuriles  as  far  as  Borneo.  Then  it  would 
clearly  suggest  a great  deluge  and  flood  which  most 
certainly  took  place  in  South  America  in  days  long  gone 
by,  and  was  indeed  quelled  by  burning  stones  — not,  of 
course,  thrown  by  the  hands  of  a Bororo,  from  the  summit 
of  a mountain,  but  by  a great  volcanic  eruption  spitting 
fire  and  molten  rocks. 

As  I have  stated  elsewhere,  there  was  every  possible 
indication  in  Central  Brazil  that  torrential  rains  on  an 
inconceivable  scale,  naturally  followed  by  unparalleled 
floods,  had  taken  place,  in  the  company  of  or  followed  by 
volcanic  activity  on  a scale  beyond  all  imagination.  One 
had  only  to  turn  one’s  head  round  and  gaze  at  the  scenery 
almost  anywhere  in  Central  Brazil,  but  in  Matto  Grosso 

221 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


particularly,  to  notice  to  what  extent  erosion  and  volcanic 
activity  had  done  their  work. 

Another  curious  belief  of  the  Bororos  was  worth 
remembering.  They  claimed  that  men  and  women  did 
not  come  from  monkeys,  but  that  once  upon  a time 
monkeys  were  human  and  could  speak.  They  lived  in 
huts  and  slept  in  hammocks. 

The  Bororos  possessed  no  geographical  knowledge. 
Beyond  their  immediate  neighbourhood  they  knew  of  no 
other  place,  and  did  not  in  any  way  realize  the  shape  or 
size  of  the  earth. 

They  called  themselves  Orari  nogu  doghe,  or  people 
who  lived  where  the  pintado  fish  ( orari  in  Bororo)  was 
to  be  found.  The  Bororos  spoke  of  only  three  other 
tribes:  the  Kaiamo  doglie  (the  Chavantes  Indians),  their 
bitter  enemies;  the  Ra  rai  doglie  — the  long-legged 
people  — ancient  cave-dwellers,  once  the  neighbours  of 
the  Bororos,  but  now  extinct;  and  the  Baru  gi  ragguddu 
doglie  — a name  better  left  untranslated — applied  to  a 
tribe  living  in  grottoes. 

In  the  way  of  religion  the  Bororos  admitted  five 
different  heavens,  in  the  last  of  which  dwelt  a Superior 
Being,  a deity  called  the  Marebba.  Marebba’s  origin 
was  unknown  to  the  Bororos.  All  they  knew  was  that  he 
had  a mother  and  a powerful  son.  Marebba  only  looked 
after  the  men,  but  he  was  so  occupied  that  when  the  barihs, 
through  whose  mediation  it  was  possible  to  communicate 
with  him,  wished  to  be  heard,  they  had  to  shout  at  the 
top  of  their  voices  in  order  to  attract  his  attention.  Only 
the  higher  barihs  could  communicate  with  him,  the  lower 
barilis  being  merely  permitted  to  communicate  with  his 
son. 

They  also  believed  in  the  existence  of  a bad  god,  an 
evil  spirit  called  Boppe.  Boppe  inhabited  the  mountains, 
the  tree-tops  and  the  “ red  heaven.”  There  were  many 
boppe , male  and  female,  and  to  them  were  due  all  the 

222 


BOROIiO  WOMEN. 


BORORO  WOMEN. 


BOROROS  THRESHING  INDIAN  CORN. 


A BORORO  BLIND  WOMAN 


TRANSMIGRATION  OF  THE  SOUL 


misfortunes  which  had  afflicted  the  Bororos.  Some  of  the 
barihs  maintained  that  they  had  actually  seen  both 
Marebba  and  some  of  the  boppes.  They  gave  wonderful 
descriptions  of  them,  comparing  them  in  their  appearance 
to  human  beings.  The  Bororos  believed  that  in  any  food 
it  was  possible  to  find  a boppe,  there  established  in  order 
to  do  evil.  Therefore,  before  partaking  of  meals,  es- 
pecially at  festivals,  they  first  presented  the  barih  with 
fruit,  grain,  meat,  and  fish  in  order  to  appease  the  anger 
of  the  evil  spirits. 

The  Bororos  believed  in  the  transmigration  of  the  soul 
into  animals.  They  never  ate  deer,  nor  jaguar,  nor  vul- 
tures, because  they  thought  that  those  animals  contained 
the  souls  of  their  ancestors.  The  jaguar,  as  a rule, 
contained  the  soul  of  women.  When  a widower  wished  to 
marry  a second  time,  he  must  first  kill  a jaguar,  in  order 
to  free  the  soul  of  his  first  wife  from  suffering. 

They  also  seemed  to  have  an  idea  that  the  arue,  or 
souls  of  the  dead,  might  reappear  in  the  world  and  could 
be  seen  by  relatives.  Men  and  women  all  became  of  one 
sex  on  leaving  this  world  — all  souls  being  feminine, 
according  to  the  Bororos. 

The  apparition  of  the  souls  before  their  relatives  was, 
of  course,  merely  a clumsily  arranged  trick  of  the  barilis. 
This  is  how  it  was  done.  They  made  a circle  of  branches 
of  trees,  in  order  to  keep  the  audience  at  a distance,  and 
then  erected  a large  wooden  gate,  so  arranged  that  when 
the  souls  appeared,  it  fell  down  in  order  to  give  them  free 
passage.  The  souls,  generally  not  more  than  two 
together,  upon  being  called  by  the  barili,  entered  the  ring 
with  their  faces  covered  and  hopping  with  a special  step 
of  their  own.  They  did  not  respond  to  prayers  or  tears, 
and  kept  on  twirling  about  within  the  ring.  The  body  was 
that  of  a woman,  wearing  from  the  waist  down  a gown 
of  palm  leaves.  The  face  was  covered  by  a mask  of 
vegetable  fibre,  which  allowed  its  owner  to  see  and  not 

223 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


be  seen.  Upon  the  head  was  worn  a cap  of  wax,  in  which 
were  stuck  a great  number  of  arrows,  so  that  it  looked 
just  like  the  hack  of  a disturbed  porcupine. 

Naturally  those  “ souls  ” were  merely  special  girls 
dressed  up  for  the  occasion.  But  credulous  Bororo  women 
believed  they  were  actually  seeing  the  souls  of  their  dead 
relatives.  They  worked  themselves  into  a great  state 
of  excitement. 

The  same  implement  which  was  employed  by  the 
Bororos  to  reproduce  the  sound  of  the  aigi  or  ajie 
(hippopotamus) — a board  some  ten  inches  long  and 
three  inches  wide  attached  to  a string  and  revolved  from 
a long  pole  — was  also  used  by  them  to  announce  the 
departure  of  souls  from  this  world  to  the  next.  The 
women  were  ordered  to  cover  their  faces  or  hide  altogether 
inside  their  huts  when  these  noises  were  produced.  Should 
one  be  curious  enough  to  inquire  into  their  origin  and 
look,  she  was  generally  condemned  to  death,  frequently 
by  starvation.  The  Bacururu,  or  the  Coroado  Indians, 
believed  that  after  such  an  indiscretion  nothing  could 
save  the  life  of  a woman. 

Before  starting  on  a hunting  or  fishing  expedition, 
prayers  were  offered  to  the  souls  of  the  departed,  so  that 
they  might  not  interfere  with  the  success  of  the  expedition, 
and  if  possible  help  instead. 

The  funeral  rites  of  the  Bororos  were  singular.  On 
the  death  of  a man,  a chorus  of  moans  began,  and  tears 
were  shed  in  profusion,  while  some  one  sang  for  several 
days  the  praises  of  the  defunct  in  a melancholy  monotone. 
The  body  was  covered  for  two  entire  days,  during  which 
all  articles  that  belonged  to  the  deceased,  such  as  bow 
and  arrows,  pots,  and  musical  instruments,  were  smashed 
or  destroyed.  The  debris  was  stored  behind  a screen  in 
the  hut,  where  subsequently  was  also  kept  the  hearse  in 
which  the  body  was  conveyed  to  the  burial  spot.  The 
body,  wrapped  in  a palm-leaf  mat,  was  then  interred  in 

224 


FUNERAL  RITES 


a shallow  oval  grave  just  outside  his  hut.  A wooden 
beam  was  placed  directly  over  the  body,  and  then  the 
hollow  was  covered  over  with  some  six  or  eight  inches  of 
earth.  A few  branches  of  trees  and  some  thorns  were 
thrown  over  it,  to  indicate  the  spot. 

For  twenty  days,  in  the  evening  and  night,  moans 
resounded  through  the  air.  More  tears  were  shed  by  the 
relatives  and  by  the  barih,  who  frequently  proceeded  to 
the  grave  to  pour  water  on  it.  On  the  twentieth  day, 
while  some  one  set  at  play  the  awe-inspiring,  revolving 
board,  others  proceeded  to  exhume  the  body,  by  then 
in  a state  of  absolute  decomposition.  The  remains 
were  taken  to  the  stream,  and  the  bones  cleaned  with  great 
care.  The  skull  was  placed  within  two  inverted,  hemi- 
spherical baskets,  whereas  all  the  other  bones  of  the  body 
were  heaped  into  a third  concave  basket  of  a larger 
size. 

It  was  on  their  return,  with  moans  and  chanting,  to 
the  bayto,  or  meeting-place  in  the  aldeja , that  the  most 
touching  scene  ensued.  The  skull  was  decorated  with  a 
design  of  coloured  feathers,  while  those  present  inflicted 
wounds  upon  their  own  bodies,  shedding  blood  upon  the 
basket  of  remains.  The  women,  moreover,  tore  one  by 
one  each  hair  from  their  heads  and  bodies  in  sign  of 
mourning. 

After  this  the  skull  and  bones  were  placed  within 
another  basket,  and  were  either  cremated  or  thrown  to 
the  bottom  of  a river.  The  property  of  the  deceased  was 
then  set  ablaze. 

I noticed  in  a hut  a skirt  made  of  long  palm  leaves. 
It  was  donned  at  funerals.  There  were  also  several  long, 
rudimentary  flutes,  formed  by  a cane  cylinder  with  a 
rounded  mouthpiece  inserted  into  another.  These  flutes, 
too,  were  used  only  on  such  mournful  occasions. 

The  barih  received  a present  from  relatives  at  the 
death  of  individuals  in  the  tribe.  The  family  remained 

vol.  i.  — 15  225 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


in  mourning  from  five  to  six  months.  The  widow,  at  the 
death  of  her  husband,  was  expected  to  tear  each  hair  off 
her  scalp,  one  by  one,  until  her  head  remained  as  bald  as 
a billiard-ball.  She  generally  did  it. 

The  corpses  of  women  were  treated  slightly  differ- 
ently. When  a woman  died,  she  was  buried  pro  tem. 
A feast  was  given  to  the  tribe.  The  process  of  denudation 
having  been  given  ample  time  to  leave  her  skeleton  clean, 
her  bones  were  collected,  and  placed  in  a special  basket, 
and  then  cremated.  The  ashes  were  scattered  to  the  winds, 
and  so  were  all  her  clothes,  ornaments,  chattels,  smashed 
to  atoms,  and  articles  of  food.  Even  fowls,  if  she 
possessed  any,  were  destroyed.  Usually  they  were  eaten 
by  her  friends. 

The  Bororos  did  not  possess  a sense  of  honour 
resembling  ours.  Theft  was  not  considered  dishonour- 
able, and  was  not  looked  down  upon  nor  condemned  by 
them.  If  a Bororo  liked  anything  belonging  to  any  one 
else,  they  could  see  no  reason  why  he  should  not  appro- 
priate it.  That  was  their  simple  way  of  reasoning,  and 
as  no  police  existed  among  them  such  theories  were  easily 
followed. 

Taking  something  which  belonged  to  a stranger  was, 
in  fact,  rather  encouraged,  and  in  our  experience  we  had 
to  keep  a sharp  watch  when  Indians  came  to  our  camp, 
as  things  disappeared  quickly.  They  seldom  took  the 
trouble  to  ask  for  anything;  they  just  took  it  and  ran 
away. 

The  measurements  of  Bororo  heads  on  the  table 
opposite,  taken,  as  an  average,  from  several  of  the  most 
characteristic  types,  will  be  found  of  interest,  especially 
when  compared  with  some  from  Papuan  and  Malay  tribes 
of  the  Philippine  and  Sulu  Archipelagoes,  with  whom 
they  have  many  points  in  common. 

Due  allowance  must  be  made  for  the  artificial  deforma- 
tion of  the  cranium  in  the  case  of  the  Bororos. 

226 


HEAD  MEASUREMENTS 


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N.  B.  — For  further  particulars  see  “ The  Gems  of  the  East,”  by  A.  H.  Savage-Landor. 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


I had  no  end  of  trouble  in  obtaining  these  measure- 
ments, as  the  Bororos  would  not  hear  of  being  measured. 
They  were  frightened  of  the  nickel-plated  calliper  I used 
for  the  purpose.  It  was  quite  beyond  them  to  understand 
why  any  one  should  want  to  know  the  length  of  their 
noses.  In  fact,  although  many,  after  a lot  of  coaxing, 
submitted  to  have  other  measurements  taken,  few  of  them 
would  let  me  measure  the  nose.  None  at  all  would  permit 
me  to  measure  the  length  of  their  eyes,  as  they  feared  I 
would  intentionally  blind  them. 

I met  other  tribes  of  Bororos  as  I went  along,  and 
I was  able  to  add  to  the  curious  information  already 
collected  and  given  in  previous  chapters.  It  appeared 
that  at  the  birth  of  a child  the  head,  while  the  skull  was 
still  soft,  was  intentionally  compressed  and  bandaged, 
especially  at  the  forehead  and  back,  so  as  to  flatten  it  and 
produce  an  abnormal  shape  of  the  skull.  In  many  cases 
only  the  back  of  the  head  was  flattened  by  the  application 
of  artificial  pressure.  The  elongation  was  both  upwards 
and  sideways.  This  deformation  was  particularly  confined 
to  male  children. 

When  twins  were  born,  one  was  killed  or  else  left  to 
die  in  the  sun,  as  they  believed  that  the  other  could  not 
live,  if  both  were  left  alive.  Murder  for  them,  in  that 
instance,  was  a question  of  humanity. 

The  Bororos  had  a perfect  horror  of  natural  death. 
They  were  terrified  at  the  sight  of  a person  dying. 
Therefore  when  one  of  their  people  was  about  to  expire, 
they  covered  him  up  and  placed  him  out  of  sight.  If 
he  or  she  under  those  circumstances  delayed  in  departing 
this  life,  the  departure  was  hastened  by  suffocation  or 
strangulation.  The  Bororos  were  too  restless,  and  could 
not  wait  too  long  for  anything. 

They  were  easily  suggestionized.  Many  of  them 
would  make  excellent  subjects  for  hypnotic  experiments. 
The  women  particularly  were  extraordinarily  sensitive  to 

228 


BORORO  CHILDREN. 


BORORO  WOMEN 


ISOLATED  CONICAL  IIILLS. 

With  tower-like  rocky  formation  on  summit. 


THE  ENDLESS  CAMPOS  OF  MATTO  GROSSO, 


THE  “SOUL  THAT  FALLS” 


animal  magnetism.  They  were  much  given  to  hysterical 
displays.  One  of  the  reasons  which  was  given  me  for 
hastening  the  death  of  moribund  Bororos  was  a curious 
superstition  that  the  sight  of  a dying  person  would  cause 
the  death  of  women,  particularly  if  the  dying  person  hap- 
pened to  look  in  the  direction  of  one  woman  present.  The 
women  believed  this  so  firmly  that  occasionally,  the 
Bororos  asserted,  women  actually  became  ill  and  died 
when  they  saw  a dead  person.  This,  no  doubt,  may  have 
occurred  merely  by  suggestion.  Women  were  never 
allowed,  under  ordinary  circumstances,  to  see  dead 
people. 

When  dancing,  the  Bororos  sprang  on  one  foot  and 
then  on  the  other,  always  hopping  about  in  a circle. 

Abnormalities  and  deformities  were  frequently  no- 
ticeable among  them,  such  as  hare-lip,  supernumerary 
toes  and  fingers,  and  hypertrophy  of  the  limbs.  Abnor- 
malities of  the  genitals  were  general,  owing  to  tribal 
customs. 

One  of  the  evil  spirits  most  feared  by  the  Bororos 
was  called  aroi  koddo  — or  “ soul  that  falls.”  It  was  a 
spirit  that  came  to  earth  solely  for  the  purpose  of 
punishing  the  Bororos.  They  said  that  this  spirit  was  an 
extremely  noisy  one,  and  its  approach  was  announced  by 
terrifying  sounds. 

The  Bororos  were  frightened  of  comets  and  had 
about  them  superstitions  similar  to  those  of  Europeans; 
that  is  to  say,  that  their  appearance  caused  illness,  mis- 
fortune, and  death.  Solar  and  lunar  eclipses,  the  Bororos 
stated,  were  merely  the  result  of  anger  on  the  part  of  evil 
spirits.  “ The  sun  or  moon  were  making  faces  because 
they  were  angry,”  was  their  highly  astronomical  explana- 
tion of  the  phenomenon. 

The  Bororos  had  a firm  belief  that  some  of  their 
ancestors  lived  in  the  sun,  others  in  the  moon;  and  they 
said  the  ancestors  caused  the  sun  to  make  faces  when 

229 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


angry.  In  the  sun  also  lived  the  head  of  all  the  barihs, 
or  medicine-men,  the  intermediary  between  humans  and 
spirits;  whereas  in  the  moon  dwelt  only  those  who  could 
invoke  the  souls  of  the  ancestors.  The  barih  was  only 
capable  of  communicating  with  a barih’s  ancestors. 


230 


CHAPTER  XVII 

The  River  Das  Garcas — Majestic  Scenery 

I WENT  to  call  on  the  Salesian  Fathers.  Between 
my  camp  and  the  river  Das  Ga^as,  on  the  right  bank 
of  which  the  colony  stood,  there  was  a great  dome 
of  red  volcanic  rock  with  many  loose  boulders  such  as  we 
had  seen  for  the  last  three  days  of  our  journey.  The 
river  was  swift  and  deep.  The  colony  was  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  water.  We  shouted  until  an  Indian  appeared 
and  took  us  across  in  a rickety  canoe  belonging  to  the 
friars,  which  he  paddled  with  the  stalk  of  a palm-leaf. 

The  Salesians  were  remarkable  people,  and  should 
be  an  example  to  many  other  missionaries.  Wherever 
they  went  they  did  not  trouble  much  about  making  con- 
verts. They  taught  the  natives  instead  how  to  work  the 
soil  and  how  to  make  all  kinds  of  articles  which  might 
or  might  not  be  useful  to  them  as  they  became  more 
civilized.  The  chief  effort  of  the  monks  was  to  teach  the 
natives  agriculture,  from  which  — charity  always  begins 
at  home  — the  friars  themselves  were  naturally  the  first  to 
reap  the  benefit.  At  the  same  time  the  natives  learned, 
and  earned,  and  were  made  happy.  They  improved  their 
mode  of  living  and  were,  with  great  softness  and  patience, 
not  only  drawn  nearer  to  Catholicism,  but  towards  white 
people  altogether.  The  Salesians  had  established  on  the 
Rio  Das  Garzas  — an  enchanting  spot  — a beautiful  farm, 
on  which  they  grew  quantities  of  Indian  corn,  sugar-cane, 
wheat,  and  all  kinds  of  vegetables. 

Although  I am  not  a Roman  Catholic,  the  Salesians 

231 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


received  me  very  politely  and  took  the  greatest  delight 
in  showing  me  all  over  the  Mission.  It  was  interesting 
to  note  that  everybody  was  working  hard.  The  Father 
Superior  himself  was  busy  shaping  a big  table  from  a 
huge  plank  of  hard  wood,  and  nothing  could  induce  him 
to  leave  his  sweating  work,  not  even  his  meals.  Father 
Colli  Agostino  was  detailed  to  go  round  and  explain 
everything  to  me. 

The  Salesians  had  no  trouble  with  the  Indians, 
whom  they  found  quite  gentle  and  docile.  But  they  could 
never  be  relied  upon.  One  day  the  entire  tribe  would 
come  and  help  to  work  the  soil  with  great  vigour;  the 
next  day  they  would  all  disappear  from  the  neighbour- 
hood, and  no  one  knew  where  they  had  gone,  sometimes 
for  weeks.  They  invariably  came  back,  sooner  or  later, 
and,  what  was  more,  they  were  always  welcomed  back. 

Converting  them  to  Christianity  was  a different 
matter.  The  Salesians  had  made  little  headway  in  that 
direction. 

“ We  are  patient  people,”  said  Father  Colli;  “it  will 
come  in  time.  Already  the  Bororos  are  beginning  to 
join  us  in  the  church,  where  many  enjoy  singing  with  us. 
They  are  intelligent  and  soon  learn  to  sing.” 

I purchased,  at  almost  prohibitive  prices,  many  things 
from  the  Salesians,  principally  food  for  my  animals  and 
men.  Of  course,  in  buying,  one  had  to  realize  where  we 
were,  which  made  all  the  difference  in  the  price.  I was 
glad  to  pay  them  the  money  and  obtain  the  commodities. 

The  Salesians  told  me  that  while  digging  to  make  the 
foundations  for  one  of  their  buildings,  they  had  found, 
only  three  feet  under  ground,  in  the  sandy  soil,  several 
earthen  pots  of  great  antiquity,  in  excellent  preservation, 
as  well  as  a fireplace  with  ashes  and  charcoal.  The  sand 
had  evidently  accumulated  in  the  valley  below  there,  owing 
to  wind  and  not  to  water.  The  frail  pottery,  imperfectly 
baked,  would  have  crumbled  away  quickly  in  moisture. 

232 


A BEAUTIFUL  VIEW 


On  May  twentieth  (minimum  58°  Fahrenheit,  maxi- 
mum 85°)  we  were  again  off  toward  the  west,  travelling 
over  great  domes  of  red  lava,  the  higher  portions  of  which 
were  covered  by  layers  of  ashes  and  red  sand.  We  were 
at  an  elevation  of  1,480  feet  in  the  deep  basin  of  the  Rio 
Barreiros  and  Rio  das  Gai^as,  but  we  soon  went  over 
three  consecutive  ridges,  1,550  feet  above  the  sea  level, 
with  delicious  campos  and  a bosquet  of  trees  here  and 
there.  In  the  arc  of  a circle  extending  from  northwest 
to  southwest  we  had  in  front  of  us  a beautiful  view. 
Previous  to  reaching  the  third  ridge,  that  day,  we  also 
had  behind  us  a wonderful  panorama  of  the  great 
plateau  described  in  a previous  chapter. 

On  travelling  over  a fourth  elevation,  we  found 
ourselves  upon  another  immense  dome  of  red  volcanic 
rock,  blackened  on  the  surface,  as  if  by  fire,  and  with 
the  peculiar  striations  we  had  noticed  once  or  twice  before. 
In  this  case  there  were  cross  striations  as  well,  the 
direction  of  one  set  of  parallel  marks  being  from  north- 
west to  southeast,  of  the  other  set  northeast  to  southwest, 
thus  forming  lozenges,  each  about  sixty  centimetres  across. 
All  those  lozenges  were  so  regularly  cut  that  the  ensemble 
gave  the  appearance  of  a well-made  pavement.  Then  I 
noticed  some  peculiar  great  cavities  in  the  rock,  like  those 
formed  by  glacial  action.  In  fact,  on  a superficial  ex- 
amination, it  seemed  almost  as  if  that  region  had  first 
gone  through  a period  of  great  revolution  while  in  a state 
of  semi-liquefaction,  owing  to  intense  heat  from  fire,  after 
which  a sudden  and  intense  cooling  had  taken  place  and 
covered  the  country,  perhaps  even  with  ice.  Whether  the 
immense  deposits  of  ashes  and  sand  had  been  formed 
before  or  after  the  glacial  period,  if  any  such  period  ever 
existed  in  that  particular  region,  could  be  merely  a matter 
of  speculation.  In  many  places  the  sand,  ashes,  and  red 
earth  had  almost  consolidated  into  easily  friable  rock. 

Where  the  actual  rock  was  not  exposed,  we  had 

233 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


campos,  campos,  campos,  stretching  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
see.  Far  from  being  monotonous,  one  had,  or  at  least  I 
had,  a delightful  sensation  in  riding  across  those  inter- 
minable prairies  of  beautiful  green.  One  could  breathe 
the  pure  air  with  fully  expanded  lungs,  and  in  that  silent, 
reposeful  solitude  one  felt  almost  as  if  the  whole  world 
belonged  to  one.  We  were  not  much  worried  by  insects 
on  those  great  open  places;  it  was  only  on  getting  near 
patches  of  vegetation  and  near  streams  that  we  suffered 
from  the  attacks  of  those  pests. 

We  saw  few  trees,  those  all  stunted  and  weak,  as  the 
padding  of  earth  over  the  rocky  under-strata  did  not  per- 
mit their  roots  to  go  deep  down,  and  therefore  they  grew 
up  with  difficulty  and  were  anaemic. 

Twelve  kilometres  from  the  Rio  Barreiros  we  came 
to  a stream  (elevation  1,400  feet).  On  our  left,  rising 
above  the  inclined  campos,  was  a triple  undulation  much 
higher  than  its  neighbours.  To  the  west  stood  two  twin, 
well-rounded  mounds,  that  my  men  named  at  once  “ the 
woman’s  breasts,”  which  they  much  resembled. 

We  were  still  marching  on  deep  deposits  of  ashes,  and, 
higher,  upon  semi-hardened  sandstone.  On  the  northern 
side  the  twin  hills  had  a different  shape.  They  ended  in 
a sharply  pointed  spur. 

After  going  over  an  ochre-coloured,  sandy  region 
(elevation  1,530  feet  above  the  sea  level)  we  came  again 
to  magnificent,  undulating  campos,  dotted  here  and  there 
with  dark  green  shrubs  and  bosquets  to  the  north,  north- 
west, and  northeast. 

Beyond,  to  the  northeast,  loomed  again  in  the  far 
distance  our  mysterious  plateau,  of  a pure  cobalt  blue 
where  in  shadow.  As  one  ran  one’s  eye  along  its  sky- 
line, it  was  almost  flat  for  more  than  half  its  length,  then 
came  a slight  dip,  followed  by  a terraced  dome.  Then 
again  a straight  line,  followed  by  a slightly  higher  and 
more  undulating  sky-line  with  three  steps  in  it,  and  a coni- 

234 


AN  EXTINCT  CRATER 


cal  end  at  its  eastern  terminus.  The  most  easterly  point  of 
all,  the  highest,  resembled  a castle  with  vertical  sides.  But 
of  this  we  have  already  spoken,  at  the  terminal  point  of 
the  great  divided  range  we  had  passed  some  days 
previously.  The  vertical  cliffs  of  the  plateau,  where 
lighted  by  the  sun,  were  of  a brilliant  red  colour. 

As  we  approached  the  twin  hills  they  appeared  to 
be  the  remains  of  an  ancient  crater.  They  formed,  in  fact, 
a crescent  with  a broken,  rocky,  lower  section,  completing 
the  circle  of  the  crater.  I had  no  time  to  go  and  examine 
carefully,  as  it  would  have  meant  a deviation  from  my 
route,  but  that  is  how  it  appeared  to  me.  There  were, 
in  fact,  extra  deep  deposits  of  volcanic  ashes  at  the  foot 
of  the  descent  before  we  arrived  at  the  river  Agua 
Emeindada,  where  we  made  our  camp  that  night,  fifteen 
kilometres  from  the  Rio  Barreiros. 

My  men  went  after  game  that  night.  Alcides  killed 
a veado  (deer),  and  we  all  enjoyed  the  fresh  meat  for 
dinner. 

The  clouds  (cirro-stratus)  were,  during  the  entire  day, 
in  horizontal  lines  and  slight,  globular  accumulations,  the 
latter  in  a row  and,  taken  en  masse,  giving  also  the 
impression  of  lines  just  above  the  horizon  to  the  west. 
At  sunset  we  once  more  saw  the  glorious  effect  of  the 
radiation  from  the  west,  only  instead  of  being  straight 
lines  there  were,  that  time,  feathery  filaments,  which  rose 
in  graceful  curves  overhead,  like  so  many  immense  ostrich 
feathers.  They  joined  again  in  a common  centre  to  the 
east. 

My  men  were  complaining  all  the  time  of  the  intense 
cold  at  night,  and  made  me  feel  almost  as  if  I had  been 
responsible  for  it.  They  grumbled  perpetually.  During 
the  early  hours  of  the  morning  their  moans  were  incessant. 
They  never  ceased  crying,  as  hysterical  young  girls  might 
do,  but  as  one  would  not  expect  of  men.  Some  of  them 
had  toothache;  and  no  wonder,  when  one  looked  at  their 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


terrible  teeth  and  the  way  they  ate.  They  devoured 
pounds  of  sugar  every  day,  our  supply,  which  should  have 
lasted  a year  or  more,  having  already  almost  been 
exhausted.  It  was  impossible  for  me  alone,  with  all  the 
astronomical,  geological,  botanical,  geographical,  meteor- 
ological, photographic,  anthropometric,  and  artistic  work, 
not  to  mention  the  writing-up  of  my  copious  daily  notes, 
also  to  keep  a constant  watch  on  the  supplies.  I handed 
over  that  responsibility  to  Alcides.  Unfortunately,  he  was 
the  greediest  of  the  lot.  Every  time  I warned  him  not  to 
be  so  wasteful,  as  we  should  find  ourselves  dying  of  star- 
vation, he  and  the  others  made  me  feel  that  I was  meanness 
itself,  and  that  I was  only  doing  it  to  save  money. 

I never  objected  to  their  eating  as  much  as  they  could, 
as  I have  always  made  it  a point  on  all  my  expeditions 
to  feed  my  men  on  the  best  food  procurable,  and  give 
them  as  much  as  they  could  possibly  devour.  But  it 
pained  me  to  see  quantities  of  good  food  thrown  away 
daily,  as  I knew  what  it  would  mean  to  us  later  on. 

“We  are  Brazilians,”  said  they,  “and  like  plenty  to 
eat.  When  there  is  no  more,  we  will  go  without  food. 
You  do  not  know  Brazilians,  but  Brazilians  can  go  thirty 
or  forty  days  without  anything  to  eat ! ” 

“All  right,”  said  I,  “ we  shall  see.” 

Forty  minutes,  and  perhaps  not  so  long,  had  been, 
so  far,  the  longest  time  I had  seen  them  cease  munching 
something  or  other.  Not  satisfied  with  the  lavish  food 
they  were  supplied  with  — heaps  of  it  were  always  thrown 
to  the  dogs,  after  they  had  positively  gorged  themselves  — 
they  would  pick  up  anything  on  the  way:  a wild  fruit, 
a scented  leaf  of  a tree,  a nut  of  some  kind  or  other,  a 
palmito,  a chunk  of  tobacco ; all  was  inserted  in  the  mouth. 
It  was  fortunate  that  we  took  enough  exercise,  or  surely 
they  would  have  all  perished  of  indigestion.  In  my  entire 
experience  I have  never  seen  men  eat  larger  quantities 
of  food  and  more  recklessly  than  my  Brazilian  followers 

236 


RECKLESS  FEEDERS 


did.  In  the  morning  they  were  almost  paralyzed  with 
rheumatism  and  internal  pains  all  over  the  body.  Fre- 
quently those  pains  inside  were  accentuated  by  the 
experiments  they  made  in  eating  all  kinds  of  fruit,  some 
of  which  was  poisonous.  Many  a time  on  our  march  did 
we  have  to  halt  because  one  man  or  another  was  suddenly 
taken  violently  ill.  My  remedy  on  those  occasions  was  to 
shove  down  their  throats  the  end  of  a leather  strap,  which 
caused  immediate  vomiting;  then,  when  we  were  in  camp, 
I gave  them  a powerful  dose  of  castor  oil.  After  a few 
hours  they  recovered  enough  to  go  on. 

On  May  twenty-first  the  minimum  temperature  of  the 
atmosphere  was  55°  Fahrenheit,  the  maximum  79°,  the 
elevation  1,250  feet  at  the  stream  Agua  Emeindata.  My 
men  declared  again  they  were  half-frozen  during  the  night 
and  would  not  go  on  with  me,  as  it  was  getting  colder 
all  the  time,  and  they  would  certainly  die.  When  I told 
them  that  it  was  not  cold  at  all,  that,  on  the  contrary,  I 
considered  that  temperature  quite  high,  they  would  not 
believe  me. 

With  the  temperature  in  the  sun  during  the  day 
at  98°,  most  of  the  aches  of  the  men  disappeared, 
and  I had  little  trouble  with  them  until  after  sunset, 
when  there  was  generally  a considerable  drop  in  the 
temperature. 

We  went  on.  We  had  a volcanic  mountain  to  the  left 
of  us  — half  the  crater  of  a volcano  formed  of  red  lava 
and  friable,  red-baked  rock.  In  the  northern  and  central 
part  of  the  mountain  were  masses  of  lava,  which  had  been 
shot  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  volcano  and  had  solidified 
into  all  kinds  of  fantastic  forms,  some  sharply  pointed, 
some  red,  others  black.  On  the  east  side  of  the  crater 
was  a dome  covered  with  earth,  with  an  underlying  flow 
of  lava.  Then  could  be  observed  a circular  group  of  huge 
rocks,  pear-shaped,  with  sharp  points  upward.  While 
the  volcano  was  active,  these  rocks  had  evidently  stood  on 

237 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


the  rim  of  the  then  cylindrical  crater.  The  mountain 
behind  those  rocks  was  formed  by  high  accumulations  of 
red  volcanic  sand,  which  in  time,  by  the  action  of  rain  and 
sun,  had  gradually  consolidated  into  soft  rock. 

The  plateau  extending  northward,  which  was  disclosed 
in  all  its  entirety  before  me  from  the  elevation  of  1,600 
feet  which  we  had  reached,  also  seemed  to  possess  an 
extinct  crater  shaped  like  a crescent  with  steep  slopes  and 
two  rounded  promontories  on  its  side. 

The  sky  that  day  was  partly  covered  by  transparent 
feathery  clouds  and  by  dense  mist  near  the  horizon  line 
to  the  east,  but  was  quite  clear  to  the  west.  As  usual,  that 
evening  we  were  again  treated  to  fairly  handsome  white 
lines  radiating  from  the  sun  half  way  up  the  sky  vault, 
but  this  time  they  were  flimsy  and  not  to  be  compared  to 
the  magnificent  displays  we  had  observed  before. 

Our  animals  still  sank  in  ochre-coloured  sand,  or 
stumbled  on  conglomerate  rocks  of  spattered  lava  pellets 
embedded  in  sandstone.  Capping  the  higher  undulations 
we  again  found  deposits  of  ashes. 

We  travelled  for  long  distances  on  a ridge  at  an 
elevation  of  1,650  feet  over  a thick  layer  of  sand  and 
ashes  mixed.  Then  campos  spread  before  us,  and  upon 
them,  here  and  there,  grew  stunted  vegetation,  the  trees 
seldom  reaching  a greater  height  than  fifteen  feet. 

From  our  last  high  point  of  vantage,  the  crater  with 
fantastic  rocks  and  its  continuation  we  had  observed 
appeared  to  form  a great  basin.  A subsidiary  vent  was 
also  noticeable.  Farther  on  our  march  we  found  other 
immense  deposits  of  grey  ashes  and  sand  alternately  — 
one  great  stretch  particularly,  at  an  elevation  of  1,600 
feet.  Water  at  that  spot  filtered  through  from  under- 
neath and  rendered  the  slope  a grassy  meadow  of  the  most 
refreshing  green.  We  were  rising  all  the  time,  first  going 
northwest,  then  due  north.  At  noon  we  had  reached  the 
highest  point. 


238 


geometrical  pattern  on 


THE  OBSERVATORY  AT  THE  SALESIAN  COLONY. 
Padre  Colbacchini  in  the  foreground. 


i-.'  < ~ 


HORORO  WOMEN  AND  CHILDREN. 


ISOLATED  PEAKS 


From  the  high  point  on  which  we  were  (1,920  feet) 
we  obtained  a strange  view  to  the  west.  Above  the 
straight  line  of  the  plateau  before  us  rose  in  the  distance 
a pyramidal,  steep-sided,  sharply-pointed  peak,  standing 
in  solitary  grandeur  upon  that  elevated  plain.  Why  did 
it  stand  there  alone?  was  the  question  one  asked  oneself; 
a question  one  had  to  ask  oneself  frequently  as  we  pro- 
ceeded farther  and  farther  on  our  journey.  We  often 
came  upon  mountains  standing  alone,  either  on  the  top 
of  tablelands  or  in  the  middle  of  extensive  plains.  Their 
presence  seemed  at  first  unaccountable. 

Again,  as  we  journey  onward,  the  mules’  hoofs  were 
injured  by  treading  over  large  expanses  of  lava  pellets 
and  sharp-edged,  cutting,  baked  fragments  of  black  rock, 
myriads  of  which  also  lay  embedded  in  reddish,  half- 
formed  rock  or  buried  in  layers  of  yellowish-red  earth. 

To  the  north  was  a majestic  panorama  of  the  most 
delicate  tones  of  blue  and  green,  with  almost  over- 
powering, sweeping  lines  hardly  interrupted  by  a slight 
indentation  or  a prominence  rising  above  the  sky-line. 
Only  to  the  northwest,  in  the  middle  distance,  was  there 
the  gentle,  undulating  line  of  magnificent  campos  — most 
regular  in  its  curves,  which  spread  in  a crescent  toward 
the  west.  The  line  was  interrupted  somewhat  abruptly 
by  a higher  and  irregular,  three-terraced  mass,  but  soon 
resumed  its  sweeping  and  regularly  curved  undulations 
beyond.  This  great  crescent  almost  described  a semicircle 
around  the  smaller  undulations,  over  which  we  were 
travelling. 

We  descended  to  1,750  feet.  On  facing  west  we  had 
curious  scenery  on  our  left  (south).  A huge  basin  had 
sunk  in,  evidently  by  a sudden  subsidence  which  had  left 
on  its  northern  side  high  vertical  cliffs  supporting  the 
hill-range  that  remained  standing.  The  undulating  centre 
and  sides  of  the  immense  depression  formed  beautiful 
campos,  with  an  occasional  bosquet  of  forest  on  the  top 

239 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


of  hills,  and  also  on  the  lowest  points  of  the  undulations. 
Those  bosquets  were  few  and  far  apart,  only  to  be  found 
where  moisture  was  plentiful.  The  remains  of  a high, 
flat  plateau,  which  had  escaped  while  the  rest  of  the 
country  had  subsided,  loomed  alone  in  the  distance. 

One  of  the  central  hills  was  crowned  by  great,  black, 
volcanic  boulders  of  the  same  rock  which  was  visible  at 
the  southern  edge  of  this  great  basin,  bounded  by  vertical 
cliffs  — all  of  the  same  composition. 

Directly  southwest  the  evenness  of  the  sky-line  was 
again  interrupted  by  two  flat-topped  mountains,  one  not 
unlike  the  gabled  roof  of  a house,  the  other  like  a cylindri- 
cal tower  on  the  top  of  a high,  conical  hill.  We  again  rose 
to  an  elevation  of  1,950  feet,  still  travelling  on  the  summit 
of  the  plateau  bordering  the  deep  depression.  We  were 
compelled  to  describe  a curve  in  our  route,  and  had 
reached  a height  of  2,000  feet.  We  perceived  to  the 
northeast  and  east  a long,  uninterrupted  — almost  flat  — 
sky-line.  We  had  described  a sweeping  curve  right  round 
the  irregular  edge  of  the  undulating  plateau.  We  could 
now  look  back  upon  the  southern  aspect  of  the  vertical 
black  and  brown  rocky  cliff,  on  the  summit  of  which  we 
had  been  travelling.  The  rocky  cliffs  were  particularly 
precipitous  and  picturesque  in  the  western  portion. 
Interminable  campos  were  still  before  us. 

I occasionally  picked  up  interesting  plants  and  flowers 
for  my  botanical  collection.  Innumerable  in  this  region 
were  the  plants  with  medicinal  properties.  The  sentori 
(centaur ea)  for  instance,  plentiful  there,  with  its  sweetly 
pretty  mauve  flower,  when  boiled  in  water  gave  a bitter 
decoction  good  for  fever. 

We  came  upon  a patch  of  landir  or  landirana  trees, 
with  luxuriant,  dark  green  foliage.  They  grew  near  the 
water,  and  were  by  far  the  tallest  and  handsomest, 
cleanest-looking  trees  I had  so  far  seen  in  Matto  Grosso. 
They  attained  a great  height,  with  extraordinarily  dense 

2-iO 


EXTRAORDINARY  SCENERY 


foliage,  especially  at  the  summit,  but  also  lower  down  at 
the  sides.  Then  burity  palms  were  fairly  abundant 
wherever  one  met  landir  trees  in  groups  or  tufts.  We 
were  now  travelling  at  an  elevation  of  2,050  feet,  then 
soon  after  at  2,100  feet  above  the  sea  level.  There  was 
merely  stunted  vegetation  growing  upon  the  red  earth 
and  sand. 

On  descending  from  that  high  point  we  came  upon 
extraordinary  scenery.  To  our  right  (north)  was  an- 
other concave  depression  with  a further  subsidence  in  its 
central  part.  Due  west  and  northwest,  from  the  spot 
where  we  first  observed  the  scene,  appeared  four  curious 
hemispherical  domes  forming  a quadrangle  with  three  less 
important  ones  beyond.  In  the  southeasterly  portion  of 
the  depression  was  a great  rocky  mass,  while  due  north 
another,  and  higher,  conical  mount,  much  higher  than  all 
the  others,  could  be  observed. 

In  the  eastern  part  of  the  depression  a wide  circle  of 
big  volcanic  boulders  — undoubtedly  an  extinct  crater  — 
was  to  be  seen,  with  huge  masses  of  spattered  yellow  lava 
in  large  blocks  as  well  as  ferruginous  rock.  That  great 
depression,  taken  in  its  entirety,  was  subdivided  into  three 
distinct  terraces,  counting  as  third  the  summit  of  the 
plateau.  A mighty,  deep,  impressive  chasm,  smothered  in 
vegetation,  could  be  observed  within  the  central  crater, 
in  the  northeast  side  of  the  circle. 

The  summit  of  the  plateau,  varying  in  elevation  from 
2,000  feet  to  2,100  feet,  on  which  we  were  travelling,  was 
entirely  covered  by  sand  and  grey  ashes. 

The  valley  in  the  depression  extended  in  lovely  campos 
from  southwest  to  northeast  — in  fact,  as  far  as  the  giant 
tableland  which  stood  majestic  in  the  distance. 

The  scene,  as  we  stood  on  the  edge  of  the  plateau,  was 
impressive  in  its  grandeur,  in  its  silence.  In  the  morning 
the  sky  was  almost  entirely  covered  with  the  trans- 
parent clouds  in  scales  like  a fish.  In  the  afternoon  the 

vol.  i.  — 16  241 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


sky  above  changed  into  horizontal  layers  of  globular 
clouds,  which  stood  as  still  as  death.  Leaden  black, 
globular  accumulations  covered  one  third  of  the  sky  vault, 
great  unshapen  masses  overhead  rendering  the  air  heavy. 

We  marched  all  that  day  on  a deep  layer  of  ashes. 
On  descending  from  the  plateau,  we  had  on  our  left  great 
clean  campos  and  plentiful  burity  palms  in  a slight  de- 
pression where  moisture  filtered  through.  As  the  caravan 
was  moving  along  gaily,  a veado  (deer)  gracefully  leapt 
in  front  and,  turning  its  head  back  two  or  three  times  to 
look  at  us,  ran  before  us.  Filippe,  the  negro,  in  his 
excitement,  gave  wild  yells  which  set  the  mules  stamped- 
ing, while  green  parrots  in  couples,  scared  at  the  sudden 
disturbance,  flew  overhead,  adding  piercing  shrieks  to  the 
rapid  tinkling  of  the  mules’  bells,  the  rattling  of  the  bag- 
gage on  the  pack-saddles,  and  the  shouts  of  the  men 
trying  to  stop  the  excited  mules.  All  those  sudden  noises 
mingled  together  were  quite  a change  for  us,  accustomed 
to  a constant  deathly  silence. 

Before  us  on  the  west-northwest,  as  we  still  sank  in 
grey  ashes,  were  two  conical  hillocks.  In  the  distance,  to 
the  west,  two  small,  flat-topped  plateaux  rose  above  the 
sky-line,  and  also  two  hills  shaped  not  unlike  the  backs 
of  two  whales.  On  our  left  we  had  an  immense  crack  or 
fissure  extending  from  northeast  to  southwest  between 
the  hill-range  on  which  we  travelled  and  another  on  the 
south,  both  showing  huge  domes  of  eruptive  rock, 
apparently  extensive  flows  of  red  lava  subsequently  black- 
ened on  the  surface  by  weathering.  On  the  opposite  side 
to  ours  the  rock  was  exposed  all  along  the  fissure  for  a 
great  height,  except  the  surface  padding  on  the  summit, 
where  beautiful,  fresh,  green  grass  was  in  contrast  to  the 
deep  tones  of  the  rock.  On  our  side  we  were  still 
struggling  in  ashes  and  sand,  with  striated  and  much 
indented  boulders  of  lava  showing  through. 

We  found  many  sicupira  nuts,  of  a small,  flat,  and  fat 

242 


GIANT  DOMES  OF  ROCK 


oval  shape,  and  a yellow-ochre  colour.  The  shell  contained 
many  tiny  cells  or  chambers,  just  like  the  section  of  a 
beehive.  Each  chamber  was  full  of  a bitter  oil,  said  to 
cure  almost  any  complaint  known. 

On  May  twenty-second  I took  observations  with  the 
hypsometrical  apparatus  in  order  to  obtain  the  correct 
elevation,  and  also  as  a check  to  the  several  aneroids  I 
was  using  for  differential  altitudes.  Water  boiled  at  a 
temperature  of  210°  with  a temperature  of  the  atmosphere 
of  70°  Fahrenheit.  This  would  make  the  elevation  at 
that  spot  1,490  feet  above  the  sea  level.  The  aneroids 
registered  1,480  feet. 

We  came  upon  two  strange  rocks,  one  resembling  the 
head  and  neck  of  a much-eroded  sphinx,  of  natural 
formation,  blackened,  knobby,  and  with  deep  grooves; 
the  other  was  not  unlike  a giant  mushroom.  The  sphinx- 
like  rock  stood  upon  a pedestal  also  of  rock  in  several 
strata.  The  head  was  resting  on  a stratum  one  foot  thick, 
of  a brilliant  red,  and  at  a slight  dip.  Under  it  was  a white 
stratum  much  cracked,  after  which  came  a stratum  of 
white  and  red,  blending  into  each  other.  This  stratum, 
two  feet  thick,  showed  the  white  more  diffused  in  the 
upper  part  than  the  lower.  The  lowest  stratum  of  all 
exposed  was  of  a deep  red. 

Near  this  stood  erect  another  columnar  rock  of  a 
similar  shape,  the  head  and  base  entirely  of  red  rock.  It 
was  eroded  on  the  northwest  side  to  such  an  extent  that 
it  was  almost  concave  in  the  lower  part.  This  rock,  too, 
showed  great  cracks  and  a slight  dip  northwest  in  the 
strata.  Vertical  fissures  were  noticeable,  and  seemed 
caused  by  concussion. 

A third  rock,  flat,  with  a convex  bottom,  stood  as  if 
on  a pivot  on  the  angular  point  of  a pyramidal,  larger 
rock,  this  larger  rock  in  its  turn  resting  over  a huge  base. 
There  was  no  mistake  as  to  how  those  two  rocks  had  got 
there.  They  had  fallen  from  above,  one  on  the  top  of  the 

243 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


other.  A proof  of  this  lay  in  the  fact  that  they  had  arrived 
with  such  force  that  the  base  had  split  at  the  point  of 
contact.  As  there  was  no  hill  above  or  near  those  rocks, 
there  was  little  doubt  that  they  had  been  flung  there  by 
volcanic  action. 

We  were  in  a region  of  extraordinary  interest  and 
surprises.  In  the  plain  which  extended  before  us,  stood 
two  conical  hills  in  the  far  northwest,  and  three  other  hills, 
dome-like,  each  isolated,  but  in  a most  perfect  alignment 
with  the  others,  towards  the  east.  Close  to  us  were  giant 
domes  of  rock,  the  surface  of  which  formed  marvellous 
geometrical  designs  of  such  regularity  that  had  they  been 
on  a smaller  scale,  one  might  have  suspected  them  of  being 
the  work  of  human  beings ; but  they  were  not,  as  we  shall 
see  presently. 


244 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

The  Salesian  Fathers  — A Volcanic  Zone 


WE  arrived  at  the  chief  colony  of  the  Salesians, 
Sagrado  Cora^ao  de  Jesus  (Tachos).  There, 
thanks  to  the  great  kindness  and  hospitality  of  the 
Fathers,  and  also  owing  to  the  amount  of  interesting 
matter  I found  from  a geological  and  anthropological 
point  of  view,  I decided  to  halt  for  a day  or  two. 

The  Salesians  had  come  to  that  spot,  not  by  the  way  I 
had  gone,  but  by  an  easier  way  via  Buenos  Aires  and  the 
Paraguay  River,  navigable  as  far  as  Cuyaba,  the  capital 
of  Matto  Grosso.  The  friars  had  done  wonderful  work 
in  many  parts  of  the  State  of  Matto  Grosso.  In  fact, 
what  little  good  in  the  way  of  civilization  had  been  done 
in  that  State  had  been  done  almost  entirely  by  those 
monks.  They  had  established  an  excellent  college  in 
Cuyaba,  where  all  kinds  of  trades  and  professions  were 
taught.  In  the  port  of  Corumba  a similar  school  was 
established,  and  then  there  were  the  several  colonies  among 
the  Indians,  such  as  the  Sagrado  Cora^ao  de  Jesus  on  the 
Rio  Barreiro,  the  Immaculada  Concepijao  on  the  Rio  das 
Gar9as,  the  Sangradouro  Colony,  and  the  Palmeiras. 

As  in  this  work  I have  limited  myself  to  write  on 
things  which  have  come  directly  under  my  observation, 
I shall  not  have  an  opportunity  of  speaking  of  the  work 
of  the  Salesians  at  Cuyaba  or  Corumba,  two  cities  I did 
not  visit,  but  I feel  it  my  duty  to  say  a few  words  on  the 
work  of  sacrifice,  love,  and  devotion  performed  by  the 
friars  in  those  remote  regions. 

245 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


In  the  colony  at  Tachos,  situated  on  a height,  there 
were  several  neat  buildings  for  the  friars  and  a village 
for  the  Indians.  What  interested  me  most  was  to  see  how 
much  of  the  land  around  had  been  converted  with  success 
to  agricultural  purposes.  I inspected  the  buildings  where 
useful  trades  were  taught  to  the  Indians  of  both  sexes. 
Weaving-looms  and  spinning-wheels  had  been  imported 
at  great  expense  and  endless  trouble,  as  well  as  black- 
smiths’ and  carpenters’  tools  of  all  kinds.  A delightfully 
neat  garden,  with  European  flowers,  was  indeed  a great 
joy  to  one’s  eyes,  now  unaccustomed  to  so  gay  and  tidy 
a sight.  What  pleased  me  most  of  all  was  to  notice  how 
devoted  to  the  Salesians  the  Indians  were,  and  how  happy 
and  well  cared  for  they  seemed  to  be.  They  had  the  most 
humble  reverence  for  the  Fathers. 

Padre  Antonio  Colbacchini,  the  Father  Superior,  an 
Italian,  was  an  extremely  intelligent  and  practical  man, 
and  one  of  the  hardest  workers  I have  ever  met.  With 
a great  love  for  science,  he  had  established  a small  ob- 
servatory on  a high  hill  at  a considerable  distance  from 
the  mission  buildings.  The  abnegation  with  which  F ather 
Clemente  Dorozeski,  in  charge  of  the  instruments,  would 
get  up  in  the  middle  of  the  night  and  in  all  weathers 
to  go  and  watch  for  the  minimum  temperature  — their 
instruments  were  primitive,  and  they  did  not  possess 
self-registering  thermometers  — was  indeed  more  than 
praiseworthy. 

My  readers  can  easily  imagine  my  surprise  when  one 
day  Padre  Colbacchini  treated  me,  after  dinner,  to  an 
orchestral  concert  of  such  operas  as  II  Trovatore,  Aida, 
and  the  Barbiere  di  Seviglia,  played  on  brass  and  stringed 
instruments  by  Indian  boys.  The  Bororos  showed  great 
fondness  for  music,  and  readily  learned  to  play  any  tune 
without  knowing  a single  note  of  music.  Naturally  great 
]3atience  was  required  on  the  part  of  the  teacher  in  order 
to  obtain  a collective  melody  which  would  not  seriously 

246 


VOLCANIC  COUNTRY 


impair  the  drum  of  one’s  ear.  The  result  was  truly 
marvellous.  Brass  instruments  were  preferred  by  the 
Indians.  The  trombone  was  the  most  loved  of  all.  As 
the  Indians  all  possessed  powerful  lungs,  they  were  well 
suited  to  play  wind  instrmnents. 

The  colony  was  situated  in  one  of  the  most 
picturesque  spots  of  Matto  Grosso.  When  out  for  a 
walk,  I came  upon  a great  natural  wall  of  rock  with 
immense  spurs  of  lava,  the  surface  of  which  was  cut  up 
into  regular  geometrical  patterns,  squares,  and  lozenges. 
I think  that  in  that  particular  case  the  peculiarity  was  due 
to  the  lava  having  flowed  over  curved  surfaces.  On 
coming  in  contact  with  the  atmosphere,  it  had  cooled  more 
rapidly  on  the  upper  face  than  the  under,  and  in  contract- 
ing quickly  had  split  at  regular  intervals,  thus  forming 
the  geometrical  pattern. 

We  were  undoubtedly  in  the  former  centre  of  incon- 
ceivable volcanic  activity.  In  other  parts  of  a great  dome 
of  rock  I came  upon  strange  holes  in  the  rock,  extremely 
common  all  over  that  region,  which  might  at  first  glance 
be  mistaken  for  depressions  formed  by  glacial  action, 
but  which  were  not.  They  were  merely  moulds  of 
highly  ferruginous  rock,  granular  on  its  surface  and  not 
smoothed,  as  one  would  expect  in  the  walls  of  cavities 
made  by  the  friction  of  revolving  ice  and  rock.  Nor 
did  I ever  find  at  the  bottom  of  any  of  those  pits, 
worn-down,  smooth,  spherical,  or  spheroid  rocks,  such  as 
are  usually  found  in  pits  of  glacial  formation.  Those  pits 
had  been  formed  by  lava  and  molten  iron  flowing  around 
easily  crumbled  blocks  of  rock,  or  perhaps  by  large  balls 
of  erupted  mud  which  had  dropped  on  molten  lava,  that 
had  then  solidified  round  them,  while  the  mud  or  soft 
rock  had  subsequently  been  dissolved  by  rain,  leaving  the 
mould  intact.  The  latter  theory  would  seem  to  me  the 
more  plausible,  as  many  of  those  pits  showed  much 
indented,  raised  edges,  as  if  splashing  had  taken  place 

247 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


when  the  rock  now  forming  the  mould  was  in  semi-liquid 
form.  Only  once  or  twice  did  I notice  hollows  with  a 
suggestion  of  spiral  grooves  in  their  walls;  but  I think 
that  those  had  been  caused  at  a more  recent  date  by  water 
flowing  in  and  describing  a spiral  as  it  travelled  downward 
in  the  interior  of  the  vessels. 

On  the  hill  where  the  observatory  was  situated,  two 
circular  volcanic  vents  were  to  be  seen.  The  hill,  which 
had  a slope  on  one  side,  had  evidently  been  split,  as  on 
reaching  the  top  I found  that  an  almost  vertical  precipice 
was  on  the  other  side.  Quantities  of  quartz  and  crystals 
were  to  be  found  on  that  hill.  All  over  that  region 
quaintly-shaped  rocks  were  also  to  be  found,  some  like 
small  cubic  or  rectangular  boxes,  others  not  unlike  ink- 
stands,  others  in  hollowed  cylinders  or  spheres.  Many, 
and  those  were  the  quaintest  of  all,  were  of  a rectangular 
shape,  which,  when  split,  disclosed  a rectangular  hollow 
inside.  These  natural  boxes  were  mostly  of  iron  rock, 
laminated,  which  had  evidently  collected  when  in  a liquid 
state  round  some  soft  matter,  that  had  subsequently 
evaporated  or  disappeared  with  the  intense  heat,  leaving 
empty  spaces  inside.  The  laminations  were  about  one 
eighth  of  an  inch  thick. 

Padre  Colbacchini  told  me  that  some  distance  off  a 
curious  pool  of  water  existed  which  he  called  the  “ electric 
spring.”  When  you  placed  your  hand  in  it  you  received 
a slight  electric  shock,  while  an  impression  similar  to  that 
of  an  electric  current  continued  to  be  felt  as  long  as  you 
kept  your  hand  in  the  water. 

The  mission  buildings  at  Tachos  were  at  an  elevation  of 
1,600  feet,  the  observatory,  100  feet  higher.  The  tempera- 
ture on  May  twenty-third  was  maximum  81°,  minimum 
68.4°  Fahrenheit.  From  the  observatory  hill  an  uncom- 
mon sight  was  before  us.  Seven  large  and  small,  isolated, 
conical  and  domed  hills  stood  in  perfect  alignment  from 
north-northeast  to  south-southwest  in  two  different  sets. 

248 


VOLCANIC  ASHES  AND  RED  SAND 


In  that  region  the  prevalent  wind  was  from  the  east- 
southeast  during  the  months  of  May,  June,  July,  and 
August.  In  September  the  wind  veered  gradually  to  the 
north  and  northeast;  whereas,  during  the  rainy  season, 
winds  from  the  north,  northwest,  and  southeast  were  the 
most  prevalent,  especially  the  northwesterly  wind.  When 
the  wind  came  from  the  north,  it  was  generally  accom- 
panied by  heavy  rain.  The  rainy  season  in  that  particular 
zone  of  the  immense  Matto  Grosso  State  extended  from 
October  to  the  end  of  April. 

The  Rio  Barreiros  flowed  in  a northerly  direction 
(elevation  1,500  feet)  over  a bed  of  red  lava,  ashes,  red 
earth,  and  sand.  After  leaving  this  river,  we  quickly  rose 
again  to  an  altitude  of  1,700  feet  upon  a first  hill,  then 
to  1,800  feet  on  a second,  and  1,850  feet  on  a third 
elevation  over  a great  spur  of  red  lava,  extending  in  a 
graceful  curve  well  into  the  valley  below. 

Exquisite  was  the  view  of  the  great  plain  below  us, 
with  its  magnificent  campos  stretching  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  see,  far  away  to  the  horizon  line.  In  the  far  distance, 
scattered  here  and  there,  rose  the  peculiar,  flat-topped, 
isolated  mountains  before  described.  Again  all  that  day 
we  marched  over  ashes,  red  sand,  and  volcanic  debris.  The 
highest  point  we  reached  was  1,950  feet.  A snake  dashed 
across  our  way  among  the  hoofs  of  my  mule,  but  no  harm 
was  done. 

Near  Camp  Bugueirao  (elevation  1,800  feet)  where 
we  halted,  there  was  a delightful,  clear,  tiny  spring 
emerging  from  white,  volcanic,  crystallized  rock.  Then 
more  campos  over  lovely  undulations  in  the  country. 
Close  by  was  what  the  Brazilians  call  a furnas  (from  the 
Latin  formis),  a somewhat  misapplied  term  by  which  they 
named  any  deep  hollow  or  chasm,  whether  vertical  like  a 
precipice  or  horizontal  such  as  a cave. 

It  was  getting  slightly  less  cold  during  the  nights.  On 
May  twenty-fourth  the  F ahrenheit  thermometer  registered 

219 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


a minimum  of  60°  and  a maximum  temperature 
of  75°. 

Owing  to  the  usual  trouble  of  recovering  the  mules  in 
the  morning,  we  only  left  camp  at  10.30  a.m.,  rising  over 
great  masses  of  ferruginous  rock,  which  showed  through 
the  deposits  of  ashes  and  sand  at  an  elevation  of  1,950 
feet.  The  immense  view  of  the  campos  in  great  un- 
dulations was  really  exquisite  to  the  west  and  south- 
west. 

My  mules  were  then  travelling  over  a strange,  narrow 
strip  of  rock  at  a height  of  2,050  feet  — in  some  places 
only  a few  yards  across  — on  the  top  of  vertical  walls 
dividing  two  deep  valleys,  one  to  the  south,  very  extensive, 
with  great  lava-flows ; another  to  the  north.  In  the  latter 
valley  an  immense,  extinct  crater  was  visible,  in  three 
well-defined,  internal  terraces  and  a deep,  central 
depression. 

Upon  climbing  on  the  summit  of  a high,  conical  hill, 
I further  discovered  that  the  crater  had  an  elongated 
shape,  the  longest  diameter  being  from  north  to  south, 
the  southern  and  lower  part  being  overlapped  by  a 
voluminous  flow  of  lava,  which  also  covered  a great  part 
of  the  mountain  slope.  Strange  monoliths  were  numer- 
ous, among  the  many  fantastically  shaped  rocks,  and  also 
boulders  lying  about  at  all  angles.  One,  like  a huge  table, 
rested  on  the  top  of  another,  upon  which  it  had  fallen  with 
great  force,  as  could  be  seen  by  the  vertical  splitting  of 
the  rock  underneath.  The  rock  above  appeared  simply 
broiled,  and  so  were  the  huge  masses  of  debris,  especially 
of  ferruginous  rock,  which  had  evidently  been  ejected 
by  that  crater.  The  entire  summit  of  the  crater  cone 
(2,100  feet  above  sea  level)  was  of  hard  black  baked  rock. 

Close  by,  to  the  north,  was  another  peculiar  oval 
depression,  the  highest  part  of  which  to  the  northwest 
was  in  four  distinct  terraces  in  the  interior.  The  eastern 
part  was  more  flattened,  not  unlike  a huge  soup  j>late.  In 

250 


LAVA-FLOWS 


the  centre  was  another  deep  depression,  possibly  an 
extinct  crater,  too.  This  second  crater  was  to  the  north 
of  the  high-domed  crater  described  above. 

In  the  near  west  we  had  mere  undulations  over  which 
we  gradually  travelled,  but  the  country  was  getting  much 
more  disturbed  than  it  had  appeared  since  leaving  the 
Araguaya  River.  Due  west,  farther  away,  stood  a weird- 
looking plateau  with  a vertical  high  wall  to  the  north.  To 
the  south  it  showed  three  terraces,  the  two  lower  ones 
supported  on  perpendicular  cliffs,  whereas  a convex  slope 
was  between  the  second  and  third,  or  top  terrace.  To  the 
southwest,  in  the  far  distance,  another  high  plateau  could 
be  perceived,  also  with  vertical  cliffs  to  the  north,  but 
slanting  at  its  southern  end  — a shape  characteristic  of 
nearly  all  the  isolated  mountains  of  that  zone. 

Looking  south,  we  perceived  great  tongues  of  lava 
extending  from  east  to  west,  the  eastern  point  being 
higher  than  the  western,  showing  that  the  lava  had 
flowed  there  from  east  to  west.  Then  there  was  also  a 
great,  sloping,  grassy  slant,  possibly  over  another  exten- 
sive lava-flow,  from  the  crater  we  had  examined.  Extend- 
ing toward  the  southwest  was  another  tongue  of  lava  of 
great  width  when  measured  from  northwest  to  southeast, 
the  latter  (southeast)  being  its  lowest  point.  On  its 
northeast  side  this  great  flow  had  a high,  vertical  face. 
Between  these  enormous  tongues  of  lava,  east  to  west  and 
southeast  to  northwest,  was  a depression  or  channel 
extending  as  far  as  a distant  high  dome,  in  three  terraces 
to  the  southwest.  On  our  course  we  came  upon  more 
curious,  flattened,  eruptive  rocks,  which  had  split,  on 
falling  with  great  force  to  earth,  after  having  been  ejected 
from  a volcano. 

Other  parallel  ranges  could  be  clearly  perceived. 
To  bearings  magnetic  160°  were  again  to  be  seen  our 
old  friends,  the  two  strange,  gabled-roof  and  tower 
mountains. 


251 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


I climbed  up  on  the  Paredaozinho  volcano  (2,100  feet 
above  the  sea  level)  to  examine  its  extinct  crater,  sub- 
divided into  two  distinct,  large  craters  and  a subsidiary 
one. 

One  of  these  craters  extended  from  east  to  west,  and 
had  in  one  section  on  its  rim  a giant  dome  split  into 
quadrangular  and  lozenge-shaped  sections,  not  unlike 
magnified  mosaic  work.  Next  to  it  was  a great  hill,  with 
a vertical  natural  wall  overlooking  the  crater  itself.  The 
horizontal  strata  of  this  natural  wall,  each  about  a foot 
thick,  looked  exactly  like  wonderful  masonry  work,  so 
perfectly  straight  were  the  strata,  and  the  square  and 
rectangular  rocks  laid  in  lines  with  such  extraordinary 
regularity.  This  wall  stood  upon  solid  masses  of  rock  of 
immense  size,  hundreds  of  feet  in  height. 

The  lip  of  the  crater  on  the  south  side  was  just  like 
the  well-laid  pavement  of  a city,  so  regularly  had  the  lava 
cracked  in  contracting,  thus  leaving  four  and  five-sided 
geometrical  figures,  all  well  fitting  in  with  their  neigh- 
bours. Again,  in  this  case,  the  lava,  flowing  over  a convex 
surface,  had  contracted  on  the  surface,  and  caused  the 
wonderful  network  of  grooves.  In  one  section  the  crater 
had  the  appearance  of  an  ancient  Roman  or  Etruscan 
amphitheatre,  with  seats  in  many  tiers  or  steps,  separated 
by  vertical  cracks,  as  if  cut  out  into  separate  blocks  of 
stone. 

On  the  east  side  of  the  greatest  portion  of  one  crater, 
which  would  seem  to  have  been  the  most  active  of  all,  I 
found  again  immense  boulders  with  stratified  rock  above 
them  resembling  masonry  work,  just  the  same  as  and  at 
the  same  elevation  as  the  layers  I had  examined  in  the 
larger,  elongated,  horseshoe  crater.  In  the  centre  of  the 
smaller  crater  there  flowed  a rivulet  of  crystal-like  water 
most  delicious  to  drink.  Undoubtedly  those  eastern  rocks 
were  the  lip  of  the  crater,  for  I discovered  there  two  flows 
of  lava  in  corrugations  and  network  designs  such  as  we 

252 


VOLCANIC  CAVITIES  (MATTO  GROSSO) 


VERTICAL  MASS  OF  SOLID  ROCK  OF  A BRILLIANT  RED  COLOUR 


A GREAT  CRATER 


had  observed  on  the  summit  of  the  greater  section.  I 
had  great  difficulty  in  climbing  up  the  steep,  internal  walls 
of  the  crater,  and  on  the  steep  slopes  with  dried  grass, 
which  was  slippery  to  a degree.  On  the  top  of  the  crater 
were  great  masses  of  carbonated  rock;  also  patches  of 
lapilli,  and  red  and  white  sand,  plentiful  everywhere  in 
that  zone. 

The  smaller  crater,  it  seemed  to  me,  must  have  been  a 
mere  safety  valve  for  the  larger  one.  Its  elevation,  it  will 
be  noticed,  was  the  same  as  that  of  the  latter.  From  the 
summit  of  the  one  on  which  I was  standing  I could  per- 
ceive the  other  to  the  east-northeast,  forming  the  eastern 
boundary  of  this  immense,  volcanic  hollow.  The  southern 
part  of  this  great,  double  crater  was  subdivided  into 
several  sections,  all  in  rocky  terraces,  quite  vertical  except 
in  their  lower  portion,  which  was  sloping  and  had  evidently 
been  filled  to  a great  extent  by  an  accumulation  of  ashes 
and  erupted  refuse.  On  the  side  on  which  I stood,  how- 
ever, the  crater  had  not  the  diabolical,  rather  awe-inspiring 
appearance  of  the  larger  section  of  the  huge,  volcanic 
mouth,  quite  unscaleable  by  humans  in  its  central  section. 
In  the  deep  cracks  in  the  rock  were  several  small  grottoes. 
I experienced  some  difficulty  and  much  fatigue  in  climb- 
ing to  the  top  (elevation  1,750  feet)  of  the  extinct  volcano, 
and  especially  in  reaching  the  lip  of  the  crater,  owing  to 
the  thick  and  much  entangled  scrub  with  innumerable 
thorns. 

Our  camp  was  at  1,500  feet,  in  a delightful  spot  at 
the  junction  of  two  streams,  one  from  the  south  descend- 
ing from  the  volcano,  the  other  from  the  north.  The  two 
rivers  united  flowed  north,  I think  eventually  into  the 
Rio  das  Mortes. 

When  we  moved  out  of  camp  on  May  twenty-fifth 
(temperature,  minimum  62°,  maximum  80°  Fahrenheit) 
I noticed  that,  after  passing  the  wall-like  section  of  the 
crater  in  the  northern  aspect,  there  were  strata  with  a dip 

253 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


south  in  the  inner  part  of  the  crater.  The  northern  face 
of  this  vertical  wall  showed  thick  strata  cracked  into 
squares  and  rectangles  with  a dip  in  two  different  direc- 
tions at  an  angle.  There  a draining  channel  had  formed. 
Two  rows  of  circular  holes,  like  port-holes,  were  to  be 
seen,  one  directly  under  the  summit,  the  other  one  third 
down  the  cliff  side.  A giant,  rectangular  tower  of  solid 
rock  stood  erect,  parallel  to  the  great  wall.  Skirting  this 
vertical  wall,  we  travelled  northwest-by-west,  rising  grad- 
ually to  1,800  feet  on  a deep  layer  of  red,  volcanic  sand 
and  grey  ashes. 

Looking  back  to  the  east,  we  had  a complete  view  of 
the  two-tiered  plateaux  with  their  vertical,  northern  walls, 
showing  a dip  south  in  their  stratification.  A crowning 
mound  could  also  be  observed  surpassing  their  height, 
when  we  rose  still  higher  to  1,900  feet  on  the  summit  of 
a ledge  of  cracked  lava,  with  a slant  westwards.  On  the 
eastern  side,  where  it  had  crumbled  owing  to  a subsidence, 
it  showed  a rounded  moulding,  whereas  on  the  other  side 
were  great  waves  of  lava.  The  lava  had  flowed  from  east 
to  west. 

After  leaving  this  curious  spot,  we  went  over  undu- 
lating red  and  ochre-coloured  sand  and  more  grey  ashes. 
We  rose  twice  to  an  elevation  of  2,000  feet.  We  crossed  a 
streamlet  of  delicious  water  flowing  north  over  a red  lava 
bed.  Then  more  and  more  ashes  were  found  all  along. 
A second  stream,  also  flowing  north,  was  then  negotiated, 
also  over  a red  lava  bed  (elevation  1,800  feet) , after  which 
we  climbed  to  2,000  feet,  descending  soon  after  to  1,900 
feet  on  the  banks  of  another  river  flowing  northeast. 

At  this  spot  were  two  more  enormous  lava-flows  — one 
on  each  side  of  the  stream,  and  extending  in  a tortuous 
course  from  southwest  and  northeast.  The  lava  had 
flowed  northeast. 

On  rising  slowly  in  deep  red  sand  to  an  elevation  of 
2,100  feet,  we  saw  two  prominent  elevations  of  brilliant 

251 


TWIN  PLATEAUX 


red  colouring  to  the  south  — they,  too,  with  vertical  cliffs 
to  the  north.  To  the  west  loomed  two  huge,  twin 
plateaux,  separated  by  an  immense  crack,  also  with 
vertical  walls  to  the  north  and  a slight  dip  south  in  the 
strata  forming  the  various  terraces. 


255 


CHAPTER  XIX 


The  Paredao  Grande  — A Canon  — A Weird  Phenomenon  — 
Troublesome  Insects 

WE  had  reached  a spot  of  most  amazing  scenery  — 
the  Paredao  Grande  — a giant  hill  mass  display- 
ing a great  crater  in  its  north  side.  Two  high 
cones  stood  above  the  immense,  red-baked  wall  at  its 
eastern  end  where  huge  blocks  stratified  in  thicknesses 
varying  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  each.  In  that  eastern 
section  the  strata,  were  perfectly  horizontal.  On  the  west- 
ern side  of  the  crater  was  a colossal,  quadrangular  moun- 
tain of  red-baked  rock,  a solid  mass  of  granite  with  a 
narrow  band,  slightly  discoloured,  all  along  its  summit. 
There  — above  — we  also  perceived  a slight,  grassy  slope, 
and  above  it  again  a great  natural  wall  in  layers  six  feet 
thick.  From  the  bottom  of  the  mountain  this  upper 
natural  wall  resembled  the  defences  of  a great  castle  built 
on  the  summit  of  the  giant  rock.  In  approaching  this 
strange  sight  we  had  gone  over  extensive  deposits  of  ashes 
and  yellow  lava  pellets  and  balls. 

The  elevation  at  the  foot  of  this  immense  block  was 
1,970  feet,  the  summit  of  the  rock  660  feet  higher  — so 
that  the  reader  can  easily  imagine  how  impressive  this 
quadrangular  block  of  bright  red  rock  was,  several 
hundred  yards  in  length  on  each  side  and  201  metres 
high. 

As  we  reached  camp  rather  early,  I went  to  examine 
the  block  from  all  sides.  On  the  southern  side  Alcides 
and  I climbed  up  to  within  thirty  feet  of  the  summit,  and 
from  that  high  point  obtained  a stupendous  panoramic 

256 


TI1E  PAREDAO  GRANDE  (MATTO-GROSSO). 


PECULIAR  FORMATION 


view  of  the  great  expanse  of  undulating  country  to  the 
south  and  southeast,  while  it  was  almost  absolutely  flat 
to  the  west  as  far  as  the  horizon  line. 

To  the  southwest  were  distinguishable  some  extraordi- 
nary-looking, cylindrical  tablelands,  like  immense  sections 
of  columns,  rising  well  above  the  horizon  line.  To  the 
south,  in  the  distance,  a peculiar  formation  of  mountains 
could  be  seen:  first  a separate,  prismatic  mountain  like 
a gabled  roof,  with  a well-defined,  vertical,  high  wall 
standing  all  along  its  longitudinal  aj)ex  line.  Parallel  to 
this  and  to  one  another  were  three  sets  of  mountains,  with 
such  steep  sides  that  they  seemed  like  gigantic  walls 
standing  up  on  the  flat  country.  Behind  them  was  a flat- 
topped  plateau  with  a small  cone  rising  above  it.  The 
sides  of  the  latter  plateau  formed  a steep  escarpment.  To 
the  southeast  was  a domed  plateau,  red  in  its  lower  section, 
green  on  the  top.  Between  this  plateau  and  the  last  wall- 
like mountain,  several  hundred  feet  in  height,  stood  a 
conical  peak  with  a natural  tower  of  rock  upon  it. 

Beyond,  to  the  southeast,  could  just  be  perceived  two 
pyramidal  mountains,  but  they  were  very  distant  and 
scarcely  visible.  The  valley  itself  was  greatly  furrowed 
in  deep,  long  channels.  Due  south  were  dome-like 
mounds  — each  of  these,  mind  you,  standing  out  indi- 
vidually upon  an  almost  flat  plain. 

In  the  northwestern  corners  of  the  great,  quad- 
rangular, Paredao  rock  I saw  a spot  where  it  woidd  have 
been  quite  easy  to  climb  up  to  the  summit,  as  portions  of 
the  rock  had  crumbled  down  and  had  left  an  incline.  But 
I had  no  object  in  making  the  ascent  on  that  side, 
especially  as  I had  already  obtained  the  view  I required 
from  the  south  side.  Also  because  I was  heavily  laden, 
carrying  cameras,  aneroids,  a large  prismatic  compass, 
and  three  heavy  bags  of  money  slung  to  the  belt  round 
my  waist,  and  did  not  feel  up  to  the  extra  and  useless 
exertion.  Great  arches  with  a span  of  over  eighty  metres 

vol.  i. — 17  257 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


were  to  be  seen  in  the  lower  part  of  the  western  wall.  To 
the  south  there  was  a huge  spur  of  lava  with  the  geometri- 
cal pattern  upon  its  surface  we  had  already  observed  else- 
where. In  this  particular  case,  too,  it  appeared  to  me  that 
the  peculiar  net  of  surface  channels  had  been  formed  by 
coming  in  contact  with  the  air,  and  not  underground  in 
the  boiling  cauldron  of  the  volcano  when  the  ebullition  of 
the  rock  ceased.  They  were  only  found  at  a lower  eleva- 
tion because  they  had  gone  down  with  a great  subsidence 
which  had  taken  place,  and  in  which  neither  the  quad- 
rangular Paredao  Grande,  nor  the  peculiar  isolated 
mountains  we  had  observed  from  its  height,  had  been 
affected.  They  had  remained  standing  when  all  the  rest 
sank  for  some  six  hundred  feet  and,  in  places,  more. 
That  might  perhaps  account  for  the  extraordinary  shapes 
of  all  those  mountains,  which  could  not  otherwise  be 
explained. 

At  the  foot  of  the  vertical,  giant  block  on  the  west, 
many  domes  of  lava,  channelled  in  a quadrangular  net- 
work pattern,  and  ridges  and  cones,  were  found,  all  with 
a slope  to  the  west.  I had  a great  struggle  in  my  research 
work  that  day,  owing  to  the  thick  scrub  with  vicious 
thorns  that  tore  one’s  clothes  and  skin  mercilessly. 

We  came  upon  an  immense  deep  crack  in  the  earth 
surface  — a regular  canon  — which  extended  all  along  the 
centre  of  the  great  valley.  On  the  opposite  side  of  it  were 
more  big  domes  of  lava  in  corrugated  designs,  also  a 
gigantic,  circular  crater.  Many  natural  ciucibles  of  iron 
rock,  some  cylindrical  in  shape,  others  oval,  others  formed 
not  unlike  Pompeian  lamps  — while  still  others  were 
square  or  rectangular  or  lozenge-shaped  — were  to  be  seen 
in  many  spots  on  the  moraine-like  tails  that  extended 
southward,  like  the  tentacles  of  an  octopus,  and  in  the 
heaps  of  much  carbonized  rock  and  solidified  froth  pro- 
duced by  what  was  once  boiling  rock.  The  mounds  of 
froth  were  usually  collected  in  depressions. 

258 


A DEEP  CANON 


The  west  side  of  the  Paredao  was  decidedly  the  most 
interesting  of  all.  Its  great  arches  showed  that  it  must 
have  once  formed  the  sides  of  a great  cauldron,  the  top 
of  which  had  subsequently  collapsed  or  been  blown  off. 
This  seemed  quite  apparent  from  the  discoloration  in  the 
rocky  cliff  some  fifty  feet  above  the  arches,  which  followed 
the  exact  line  of  what  must  have  been  the  thickness  of 
the  vault.  The  rock  in  that  discoloured  section  was  per- 
fectly smooth,  whereas  above  that  it  became  much  cracked 
vertically  in  layers,  and  gave  the  appearance  of  a masonry 
wall. 

Toward  the  southwestern  corner  there  was  a prismatic 
tower.  Where  the  peculiar,  isolated  rocks  near  the  tower 
formed  a spur,  a dip  was  noticeable  in  the  flow  of  the  once 
molten  rock,  following  what  must  have  been  at  that  time 
the  surface  soil  over  the  cauldron’s  roof. 

A huge,  triangular  crater  could  be  seen,  from  which 
started  an  enormous  crack  of  great  length  in  the  lava-flow 
of  the  valley  to  the  west. 

The  southern  face  of  that  stupendous,  rocky  quad- 
rangle was  not  quite  so  vertical  as  the  west  and  north  sides, 
and  was  more  in  tiers  or  steps  of  lava  — but  very  steep 
indeed.  It  had  in  its  lower  part  a great  spur  extending 
southward. 

As  I have  said,  Alcides  and  I arrived  within  thirty  feet 
of  the  summit  of  the  great  Paredao,  at  an  elevation  of 
2,550  feet,  the  summit  being  2,580  feet;  but  owing  to  the 
last  thirty  feet  being  absolutely  vertical  and  the  top 
rock  of  a crumbling  nature,  and  as  my  object  in  wishing 
to  obtain  a full  view  of  the  country  to  the  south  had 
been  attained,  I did  not  think  it  worth  while  to 
court  an  accident  for  nothing.  It  was  well  after  sunset 
when  we  were  up  there,  and  it  would  take  a long 
time  to  return  to  camp.  So  we  hastened  on  our  return 
journey. 

The  sunset  that  night,  which  we  watched  from  that 

259 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


high  point  of  vantage,  was  really  too  stupendous  for 
words,  and  not  unlike  an  aurora  borealis  — red,  gold,  and 
violet  lines  radiating  from  the  sun  like  a gorgeous  fan  and 
expanding  as  they  approached  the  summit  of  the  sky 
vault.  The  descent  was  more  difficult  than  the  ascent, 
owing  to  the  slippery  nature  of  the  rock. 

At  night,  while  back  in  camp,  we  saw  to  the  west- 
northwest,  quite  low  on  the  horizon,  a brilliant  planet  — 
possibly  Venus.  The  stars  and  planets  appeared  always 
wonderfully  bright  and  extraordinarily  large  on  fine 
nights.  Whether  it  was  an  optical  illusion  or  not  I do 
not  know,  but  a phenomenon,  which  lasted  some  hours, 
was  seen  by  all  my  men,  and  appeared  also  when  the  planet 
was  seen  through  a powerful  hand  telescope.  It  seemed 
to  discharge  powerful  intermittent  flashes,  red  and  green- 
ish, only  toward  the  earth.  Those  flashes  were  similar  to 
and  more  luminous  than  the  tail  of  a small  comet,  and  of 
course  much  shorter — perhaps  four  to  five  times  the 
diameter  of  the  planet  in  their  entire  length. 

Whether  this  phenomenon  was  due  to  an  actual  astral 
disturbance,  or  to  light-signalling  to  the  earth  or  other 
planet,  it  would  be  difficult,  in  fact,  impossible  to  ascer- 
tain, with  the  means  I had  at  my  command.  Perhaps  it 
was  only  an  optical  illusion  caused  by  refraction  and 
deflected  rays  of  vision,  owing  to  the  effect  upon  the 
atmosphere  of  the  heated  rocky  mass  by  our  side  and  under 
us,  such  as  is  the  case  in  effects  of  mirage.  I am  not 
prepared  to  express  an  opinion,  and  only  state  what  my 
men  and  I saw,  merely  suggesting  what  seem  to  me  the 
most  plausible  explanations. 

At  moments  the  planet  seemed  perfectly  spherical, 
with  a marvellously  definite  outline,  and  then  the  flashes 
were  shot  out  especially  to  the  right,  as  one  looked  at  the 
planet,  and  downward  slightly  at  an  angle,  not  quite 
perpendicularly. 

That  night,  May  25-26,  was  cold:  minimum  58° 

260 


THE  PAREDAO  GRANDE. 
Showing  vertical  rocks  with  great  arches. 


MUSHROOM-SHAPED  ROCKS  OF  VOLCANIC  FORMATION.  A GREAT  EARTHQUAKE  FISSURE  IN  THE  TERRESTRIAL 

CRUST  (MATTO  GROSSO). 


A STRANGE  PHENOMENON 


Fahrenheit.  But  during  the  day,  at  nine  a.m.,  the  ther- 
mometer already  registered  85°  Fahrenheit. 

The  sky,  half  covered  by  flimsy,  transparent  mist  to 
the  east,  and  by  globular,  thin  clouds,  large  overhead  and 
of  smaller  dimensions  to  the  west,  developed  later  in  the 
day  into  a charming  mackerel  sky,  with  two  great  arches 
of  mist  to  the  south,  and  delicate,  horizontal  layers  of 
mist  near  the  earth. 

It  was  only  when  we  were  some  distance  off  that  we 
obtained  a full  and  glorious  view  of  the  western  side  of 
the  Paredao.  The  upper  stratum  showed  a slight  dip 
north,  then  there  was  a ledge  on  which  grass  seemed  to 
flourish,  and  below  it  two  parallel  strata  in  a wavy  line 
from  north  to  south.  Those  two  strata  could  be  traced 
again,  after  a dip,  in  the  range  with  two  cones,  separated, 
as  we  have  seen,  by  a deep  gap  from  the  great  wall-cliffs 
of  the  Paredao.  The  indication  of  what  must  have  been 
once  an  enormous  dome  over  a huge  cavity  or  cauldron 
could  be  noticed  in  the  western  cliff,  and  also  numerous 
chambers,  large  and  small  — at  least,  judging  by  the 
arches  in  great  numbers  noticeable  in  the  wall.  In  other 
words,  you  had  there  the  same  effect  as  the  one  often  seen 
in  cities  when  houses  are  pulled  down  and  the  remains  of 
the  various  rooms  are  visible  on  the  remaining  side  walls. 

Looking  north  as  we  left  the  disturbed  region  of  the 
Paredao  Grande,  we  came  upon  a great  valley,  with  a 
depression  in  its  centre.  We  were  still  travelling  on 
volcanic,  ochre-coloured  sand  in  deep  layers,  especially 
as  we  rose  to  an  altitude  of  2,310  feet,  overlooking  a huge 
basin.  We  had  then  a good  general  view  of  the  southern 
aspect  of  the  Paredao  Grande.  In  its  side  a huge  gap 
with  vertical  walls  — a vent  perhaps  — could  be  noticed, 
reaching  as  far  as  the  summit  of  the  mountain.  It  was 
interesting  to  note  that  all  the  great  cracks  in  the  earth’s 
crust  found  in  that  region  almost  invariably  had  a 
direction  from  north  to  south,  so  that  the  ranges  which 

261 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


remained  bordering  them  must  have  split  in  a lateral 
movement  east  and  west. 

Six  kilometres  from  camp,  through  the  forest,  we  came 
upon  some  singularly  delicious,  green,  smooth,  grassy 
slopes.  In  other  places  were  perfectly  circular  or  oval, 
concave  basins  of  volcanic  ashes,  in  the  centre  of  which 
stood  charming  groups  of  hurity  palms  and  trees  with 
most  luxuriant  foliage.  These  bosquets  existed  in  the 
hollow  of  all  the  basins  where  profuse  infiltrations  of 
moisture  caused  the  luxuriant  vegetation. 

We  were  at  an  elevation  of  2,350  feet.  On  going  down 
to  a stream  (elevation  2,130  feet),  we  encountered  great 
flows  of  lava.  It  had  flowed  in  a westerly  direction.  We 
were  proceeding  through  enchanting  vegetation  when  we 
came  to  a second  and  a third  cuvette  or  basin  adorned  with 
plentiful  healthy  palms  in  its  central  point. 

As  I was  admiring  the  curious  sight  of  these  clusters 
of  high  vegetation  absolutely  surrounded  by  a wide  band 
of  lawn,  such  as  one  would  see  in  a well-kept  English  park, 
a heavy  and  sudden  storm  arrived,  which  in  a few  seconds 
drenched  us  to  the  marrow  of  our  bones.  I have  seldom 
seen  or  felt  drops  of  water  of  such  weight  and  size  as  when 
the  rain  began,  followed  within  a few  seconds  by  a down- 
pour in  bucketsful. 

Animals,  baggage,  and  men,  dripping  all  over,  went 
along,  rising  to  2,400  feet  above  the  sea  level,  by  the  side 
of  a conical  hill.  A huge  block  of  volcanic  rock,  shot  and 
deposited  there  evidently  from  elsewhere,  was  to  be  seen 
near  by. 

Eighteen  kilometres  from  our  last  camp  we  descended 
to  a streamlet,  dividing  a grassy  basin  like  the  preceding 
ones.  Again  I noticed  here  that  all  divisions  between 
ranges,  caused  by  volcanic  or  other  violent  action,  and 
not  by  erosion,  were  in  a direction  from  north  to  south. 
We  had  this  in  the  Paredao  Grande,  and  in  the  triple 
division  of  the  top-dyked  mountains  on  the  south,  and  also 

262 


PERSISTENT  MOSQUITOES 


in  the  gabled  and  tower  mountains  we  had  observed  for 
some  days  to  the  southwest. 

Again  during  the  night  I saw  to  the  west  the  phe- 
nomenon of  the  previous  evening  repeated:  the  strange 
flashes  directly  under  and  occasionally  to  the  left  of  the 
brilliant  planet,  that  is  to  say  to  the  right  of  the  person 
observing  it. 

This  was  from  Camp  Areal,  where  we  suffered  terribly 
during  the  day  from  our  friends  the  pium,  which  filled 
our  eyes  and  ears  and  stung  us  all  over;  and  at  sunset 
from  the  polvora  or  polvorinha  (or  powder),  so  called 
because  of  their  infinitesimal  size:  most  persistent  mos- 
quitoes, so  greedy  that  they  preferred  to  be  squashed 
rather  than  escape  when  they  were  sucking  our  blood  on 
our  hands  and  faces.  Fortunately,  during  the  night  — 
with  the  cold  (minimum  Fahrenheit  56°)  — we  had  a little 
respite,  and  these  brutes  disappeared,  only  to  return  to 
their  attack  at  sunrise  with  the  warmth  of  the  sun.  At 
nine  a.m.  the  thermometer  already  registered  a tempera- 
ture of  95°  Fahrenheit  in  the  sun  — a jump  of  39°,  which, 
notwithstanding  mosquitoes  and  pium , my  men  greatly 
enjoyed. 

I have  never  seen  men  suffer  more  from  the  cold  than 
my  followers.  They  were  simply  paralyzed  and  frozen 
at  that  comparatively  high  temperature.  They  moaned 
and  groaned  and  wept  all  night,  although  they  slept  in 
their  clothes  and  were  tightly  wrapped  up  in  heavy 
blankets.  Moreover,  they  had  spread  a heavy  waterproof 
double  tent  over  the  lot  of  them,  as  they  lay  closely  packed 
to  one  another,  covering  heads  and  all,  and  had  arranged 
a blazing  fire  large  enough  to  roast  an  ox  quite  close  to 
them. 

Personally,  I was  quite  happy  under  a mere  shelter 
tent,  open  on  all  sides,  owing  to  preceding  experiences, 
so  that  I could  see  what  was  going  on  all  around,  without 
getting  up  from  my  camp  bed.  I had  merely  a thin, 

263 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


camel’s-hair  blanket  over  me.  I never  slept  in  my  clothes, 
preferring  the  comfort  of  ample  silk  pyjamas.  In  the 
morning  I always  indulged  in  my  cold  shower  bath,  two 
large  buckets  of  water  being  poured  by  Alcides  upon  my 
head  and  back,  amid  the  shivering  yells  of  my  trembling 
companions,  who,  at  a distance,  watched  the  operation, 
wrapped  up  to  such  an  extent  that  merely  their  eyes 
were  exposed. 

“He  is  mad!”  I often  heard  them  murmur,  with 
chattering  teeth. 

Beneath  heavy,  horizontal  clouds  low  in  the  sky  and 
ball-like  cloudlets  above,  we  started  off  once  more  from 
an  elevation  of  2,100  feet  at  the  camp  to  proceed  over  a 
plateau  2,300  feet  high  and  some  six  kilometres  broad  from 
east  to  west.  Then  we  descended  into  another  charming 
cuvette  (elevation  2,100  feet),  and  farther  on  to  a stream- 
let flowing  north,  the  Rio  Coriseo. 

We  were  then  travelling  over  reddish  and  ochre- 
coloured  volcanic  sand,  going  through  stunted  and  fairly 
open  matto  (forest),  higher  up  at  2,250  feet  in  successive 
undulations  crossing  our  route  at  right  angles.  In  one 
of  the  degressions  (elevation  2,150  feet)  was  a river  — the 
Rio  Torresino  — flowing  north.  Quantities  of  yellow, 
globular,  lava  pellets  and  lumpy  blocks,  evidently  ejected 
by  a volcano,  were  seen. 

The  stream  Cabe^a  de  Boi,  forming  after  the  Rio 
Macacos  (or  River  of  Monkeys)  a tributary  of  the  Rio 
das  Mortes,  into  which  flowed  all  the  rivulets  we  had  lately 
met,  was  next  crossed  (elevation  2,130  feet).  Over  more 
and  deep  beds  of  ashes  we  journeyed  at  2,270  feet  on  the 
southern  edge  of  a great  grassy  basin  extending  from  east 
to  west.  Again  a delightful  group  of  palms  and  healthy 
trees  was  in  the  typical  depression.  Ant-hills  were 
innumerable  on  all  sides.  One  could  not  help  admiring 
their  architectural  lines,  which  formed  all  kinds  of 
miniature  fortresses  and  castles.  We  were  worried  to 

264 


A DOUBLE-TOWERED  MOUNTAIN 


death  by  the  pium  or  lambe-olhos  ( eye-lickers ) , as  the 
Brazilians  call  them,  which  followed  us  all  day  in  swarms 
around  our  heads  and  hands,  entering  our  mouths,  noses, 
eyes,  and  ears.  Only  for  a few  moments,  when  there  blew 
a gust  of  wind,  were  we  freed  from  this  pest,  but  they 
soon  returned  to  their  attack  with  renewed  vigour. 

We  rose  again  to  an  altitude  of  2,380  feet  on  another 
great  dome  of  red  lava,  which  had  flowed  northwards,  as 
could  be  plainly  seen  as  we  ascended  on  its  rounded  back. 
Upon  it  were  quantities  of  crystals  and  yellow  lava  pellets 
and  pebbles  and  carbonated  rock,  resting  on  whitish  and 
grey  ashes.  On  the  summit,  where,  fully  exposed,  numer- 
ous perforations,  cracks,  and  striations  were  visible  in  the 
flow,  we  were  able  to  observe  plainly  how  the  lava  in  a 
liquid  state  had  flowed  and  quickly  cooled,  while  other 
strata  of  liquid  lava  flowed  over  it,  one  overlapping 
another  like  the  scales  of  a fish,  and  forming  so  many  oval 
or  ovoid  bosses  with  channels  between. 

From  that  high  point  we  had  a perfectly  level  sky- 
line all  around  us,  except  for  the  Paredao  Grande  and 
the  Paredaozinho,  then  to  the  east-northeast  of  us. 

At  an  elevation  of  2,520  feet  we  perceived  that  day 
to  the  east-southeast  a double-towered,  massive,  rocky 
mountain  of  a brilliant  red  colour,  reminding  one  of 
the  shape  of  an  Egyptian  temple,  and  a lower  hill 
range  in  undulations  behind  it  to  the  south,  projecting 
at  its  sides. 

We  were  marching  on  the  northern  edge  of  deep  and 
extensive  depressions  to  the  south  and  southeast  of  us. 
Domed  undulations  in  progressive  steps  from  north  to 
south  were  noticeable  in  the  southern  portion  of  the  land- 
scape, and  from  south  to  north  in  the  northern  and 
much-wooded  zone. 

When  we  were  at  an  elevation  of  2,550  feet  we  had 
still  red  and  yellow  sand  and  ashes  with  stunted  and  sparse 
vegetation.  Upon  descending,  we  skirted  the  southern 

265 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


side  of  another  peculiar  oval  basin  — this  time  one  which 
possessed  a thin  strip  or  row  of  tall  vegetation  in  perfect 
alignment  in  the  central  line  of  depression.  A deep 
deposit  of  grey  ashes  and  sand  encircled  this  cuvette.  The 
general  longitudinal  direction  of  the  oval  was  from  the 
south,  the  highest  point,  to  the  north,  the  lowest  of 
the  rim. 

Having  travelled  twenty-eight  kilometres  from  Areal, 
we  made  camp  on  a streamlet  flowing  north. 

The  company  of  my  men  was  a great  trial  to  me,  a 
penance  I had  to  bear  in  silence.  What  was  more,  I could 
not  let  it  appear  in  the  slightest  degree  that  it  was  a 
penance  to  me,  if  I did  not  wish  to  make  matters  worse. 
Pusillanimity  and  fear  are  two  qualities  which  I cannot 
quite  understand  nor  admit  in  men.  Hence,  it  is  well  to 
be  imagined  what  I suffered  in  being  with  followers  who, 
with  the  exception  of  Alcides  and  Filippe  the  negro,  were 
afraid  of  everything. 

One  of  the  men  had  a toothache.  His  last  tooth  in 
the  lower  jaw  was  so  badly  decayed  that  merely  the 
outside  shell  remained.  No  doubt  it  gave  him  great  pain. 
I offered  to  remove  it  for  him,  without  a guarantee  of 
painless  extraction.  The  fear  of  greater  pain  than  he 
endured,  even  for  a few  minutes,  was  too  much  for  him. 
He  would  not  hear  of  parting  with  what  remained  of  the 
tooth.  Result:  for  twelve  consecutive  days  and  nights 
that  fellow  cried  and  moaned  incessantly,  holding  his  jaw 
with  both  hands  while  riding  a quiet  mule,  and  sobbing 
liai,  hai,  hai,  hai!  all  day  long  at  each  step  of  the  animal  — 
with  variations  of  hoi,  hoi,  hoi,  hoi,  when  the  mule  went  a 
little  quicker,  and  significant  loud  shrieks  of  uppeppe, 
uppeppe,  uppeppe,  when  the  animal  began  to  trot,  giving 
the  rider  an  extra  pang.  That  intense  pain  invariably 
stopped  at  meal-times,  and  it  did  not  seem  to  have  an 
appreciable  effect  on  the  man’s  ravenous  appetite.  My 
men  never  let  a chance  go  by  to  let  their  companions  share 

266 


MEAN  IN  THEIR  NATURE 


to  the  fullest  extent  in  their  sufferings.  They  had  no 
consideration  whatever  for  other  people’s  feelings.  In  all 
the  months  they  were  with  me  they  never  once  showed 
the  slightest  trace  of  thoughtfulness  towards  me,  or 
indeed  even  towards  any  of  their  comrades. 

Mean  to  an  incredible  degree  in  their  nature  — and 
I am  certain  no  one  could  have  been  more  generous  than 
I was  to  them  in  every  possible  way  — they  believed  that 
everything  I did  was  due  to  a wish  to  save  money.  If 
I would  not  allow  them  to  blaze  away  dozens  of  cartridges 
at  a rock  or  a lizard  — cartridges  were  a most  expensive 
luxury  in  Central  Brazil,  and,  what  was  more,  could  not 
be  replaced  — it  was  because  I wished  to  economize.  If 
one  day  I ate  a smaller  tin  of  sardines  because  I was  not 
so  hungry,  remarks  flew  freely  about  that  I was  a miser; 
if  I did  not  pitch  a tent  because  I preferred,  for  many 
reasons,  sleeping  out  in  the  oj)en  on  fine  nights,  it  was, 
according  to  them,  because  I wished  to  spare  the  tent  to 
sell  it  again  at  a higher  price  when  I returned  home! 
They  discussed  these  things  in  a high  voice  and  in  a most 
offensive  way,  making  my  hands  itch  on  many  occasions 
and  my  blood  boil.  But  I had  made  up  my  mind  that  I 
would  never  lose  my  temper  with  them,  nor  my  calm; 
and  I never  did,  trying  as  it  was  to  keep  my  promise. 

With  all  this  meanness  of  which  they  were  accusing 
me,  these  poltroons  were  clothed  in  garments  such  as  they 
had  never  before  possessed  in  their  lives;  they  were 
gorging  themselves  with  food  such  as  they  had  never 
dreamt  of  having  in  their  homes,  where  they  had  lived 
like  pariah  dogs  — and  huge  heaps  were  thrown  daily  to 
the  dogs  — and  they  were  paid  a salary  five  times  higher 
than  they  could  have  possibly  earned  under  Brazilian 
employers. 

What  annoyed  me  a great  deal  with  these  men  was 
the  really  criminal  way  in  which,  notwithstanding  my 
instructions,  they  always  tried  to  smash  my  cameras  and 

267 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


scientific  instruments  and  to  injure  anything  I possessed. 
Those  men  were  vandals  by  nature.  The  more  valuable 
an  object  was,  the  greater  the  pleasure  they  seemed  to  take 
in  damaging  it. 

Thus  another  and  unnecessary  burden  was  placed 
upon  me  in  order  to  save  my  instruments  from  destruc- 
tion, not  only  from  natural  accidents  but  through  the 
infamy  of  my  followers.  Those  fellows  seemed  to  take 
no  pride  in  anything.  Even  the  beautiful  and  expensive 
repeating  rifles  and  automatic  pistols  I had  given  each 
man  had  been  reduced  to  scrap-iron.  Yet  they  were  so 
scared  of  Indians  that  the  first  time  we  met  some,  they 
handed  over  to  them  anything  that  took  their  fancy  — 
and  which  belonged  to  me,  of  course  — for  fear  of 
incurring  their  ill-favour.  During  my  absence  from  camp, 
they  even  gave  away  to  the  Indians  a handsome  dog  I had, 
which  I never  was  able  to  trace  again. 

Like  all  people  with  a dastardly  nature,  they  could 
on  no  account  speak  the  truth,  even  when  it  would  have 
been  to  their  advantage.  They  could  never  look  you 
straight  in  the  face.  Hence,  full  of  distrust  for  every- 
body, all  the  responsibility  of  every  kind  of  work  in 
connection  with  the  expedition  fell  upon  me.  I not  only 
had  to  do  my  own  scientific  work,  but  had  to  supervise 
in  its  minutest  detail  all  the  work  done  by  them,  all 
the  time.  It  was  indeed  like  travelling  with  a band  of 
mischievous,  demented  people.  The  mental  strain  was 
considerable  for  me. 

On  that  day’s  march  we  had  passed  two  crosses 
erected,  the  Salesians  had  told  me,  on  the  spot  where 
two  men  had  been  murdered  by  passing  Brazilians  — not 
by  Indians.  Their  usual  way  of  procedure  was  to  shoot 
people  in  the  back  — never  in  front  — or  else  when  you 
were  asleep.  Nearly  all  carried  a razor  on  their  person, 
not  to  shave  with,  but  in  order  to  cut  people’s  throats  as 
a vengeance,  or  even  under  less  provocation.  This  was 

268 


A TERRIBLE  PACHYDERM 


usually  done  in  a quick  way  by  severing  the  artery  at  the 
neck  while  the  person  to  be  killed  was  asleep. 

The  Brazilians  of  the  interior  were  almost  altogether 
the  descendants  of  criminal  Portuguese,  who  had  been 
exiled  to  the  country,  and  intermarried  with  the  lowest 
possible  class  of  African  slaves.  They  seemed  to  feel 
strongly  their  inferiority  when  facing  a European,  and 
imagined,  in  which  they  were  not  far  wrong,  the  contempt 
with  which,  although  it  was  covered  by  the  greatest  polite- 
ness, one  looked  down  upon  them.  That  was  perhaps  the 
only  excuse  one  could  offer  for  their  vile  behaviour,  which, 
according  to  their  low  mental  qualities,  they  liked  to 
display  in  order  to  prove  their  independence  and 
superiority. 

We  made  our  camp  in  a heavenly  spot,  barring  the 
devilish  borrachudo  (mosquitoes),  on  the  bank  of  a 
crystal-like  streamlet  flowing  north  (elevation  2,200 
feet).  We  were  really  fortunate  to  have  excellent  and 
plentiful  water  all  the  time.  The  thermometer  went  down 
during  the  night  to  a minimum  of  54°  Fahrenheit.  There 
were  more  shivers  and  moans  from  my  men.  Only 
Alcides  and  Filippe  behaved  in  a manly  way.  The  others 
were  in  terror  of  attacks  from  the  onpa  pintada  ( felis 
onpa)  or  spotted  jaguar  of  Brazil,  and  of  the  terrivel 
tamanduas  bandeira,  a toothless  pachyderm,  with  a long 
and  hairy  tail,  long  nails,  and  powerful  arms,  the  embrace 
of  which  is  said  to  be  sufficient  to  kill  a man,  or  even  a 
jaguar,  so  foolish  as  to  endeavour  wrestling  with  it.  It 
had  a long  protruding  nose  or  proboscis,  which  it  inserted 
into  ant-heaps.  A tongue  of  abnormal  length  was  further 
pushed  out,  and  then  quickly  withdrawn,  when  crammed 
with  attacking  ants.  Ants  were  its  favourite  food. 
Although  my  men  talked  all  the  time  of  the  terrible 
bandeiras,  we  never  had  the  good  fortune  to  receive  the 
fond  embraces  of  one. 

We  had  a beautiful  sky  — perfectly  clear — on  May 

269 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


twenty-eighth,  except  perhaps  a faint  curtain  of  mist  near 
the  horizon  to  the  west.  Two  of  my  horses  had  unfor- 
tunately strayed;  and  as  the  men  searched  the  matto 
with  trembling  knees  in  fear  of  meeting  a bandeira  instead 
of  the  missing  horses,  they  were  not  recovered  until  late  in 
the  afternoon,  so  that  we  did  not  depart  until  four  p.m. 

We  went  up  to  the  top  of  an  undulation  (elevation 
2,400  feet),  on  grey  ashes  as  usual  in  the  lower  part  of 
the  hill,  and  red  volcanic  sand  on  the  summit.  That 
afternoon’s  journey  was  not  unlike  tobogganing  up  and 
down  all  the  time,  at  elevations  varying  from  2,500  to 
2,350  feet,  over  domes  of  sand,  ashes,  and  eruptive  rock, 
and  dykes  with  depressions,  some  100  feet  deep  or  so,  and 
all  extending  from  north  to  south. 

We  saw  some  gorgeous  red  araras  or  macaws  of  giant 
size.  They  were  a beautiful  sight  as  they  flew,  with  their 
hoarse  shrieks,  above  our  heads. 

At  sunset  we  were  travelling  along  the  north  edge  of 
a great,  grassy  depression,  wooded  in  its  central  pit,  the 
line  of  depression  and  of  the  central  vegetation  being 
from  north  to  south. 

We  were  treated  to  a glorious  sunset.  The  entire  sky 
had  become  of  a deep  violet  colour  and  Indian  red, 
relieved  here  and  there  by  golden  tints,  with  blue  cloudlets 
of  wonderful  regularity  in  a line.  Curiously  enough,  the 
most  brilliant  colouring  was  to  the  east  and  not  to  the 
west,  as  would  have  been  expected.  Eventually  the  entire 
sky  became  of  a glorious  yellow,  like  a golden  cupola, 
blending  into  a lovely  emerald  green  in  its  highest  point 
overhead. 

Again  we  found  ourselves  on  another  large  dome  of 
eruptive  rock,  in  some  places  reduced  into  fine,  tobacco- 
coloured  powder,  getting  somewhat  darker  in  colour 
where  the  under  stratum  was  of  sand  and  soft  conglom- 
erate easily  crumbled  under  pressure,  and  containing 
pellets  of  black  ferruginous  rock  and  grains  of  iron. 

270 


STRANGE  GEOMETRICAL  PATTERN  OF  LAVA  OVER  GIANT  VOLCANIC  DOME. 


author's  troop  of  animals  wading  across  a shallow  stream 


SANGRADOll 


Large  blocks  of  iron  rock  were  exposed  to  the  air  in  many 
places. 

We  arrived  at  the  third  Salesian  colony  of  St.  Jose 
or  Sangrador,  near  which  was  a small  settlement  of 
Brazilians  — a bad  lot  indeed.  One  of  my  best  horses  was 
stolen  here,  and  I was  never  able  to  recover  it.  I remained 
in  that  unpleasant  place  for  three  days,  endeavouring  to 
recover  the  animal,  but  it  was  of  no  avail. 

The  Salesians  had  a handsome  property,  the  agricul- 
tural resources  of  which  they  were  fast  developing. 
Sugar-cane,  mandioca,  rice,  beans,  and  Indian  corn  were 
raised  with  success.  Father  Antonio  Malan,  Inspector- 
General  of  the  Salesians,  arrived  from  the  west,  via 
Cuyaba.  He  was  an  extremely  intelligent  and  enter- 
prising man,  who  should  be  congratulated  on  selecting 
such  excellent  sites  for  the  various  colonies,  as  well  as  for 
the  sensible,  business-like  fashion  in  which  the  colonies 
were  conducted.  They  were  indeed  the  only  few  bright 
spots  where  the  light  of  civilization  shone  in  those  sadly 
abandoned  regions. 

Here  are  the  meagre  entries  in  my  diary  for  the  two 
following  days:  — 

“ May  29th.  Remained  at  Sangrador  in  search  of 
missing  horse.  Temperature:  minimum  54°;  maximum 
83°  Fahrenheit.  Perfectly  clear  sky. 

“ May  30th.  Obliged  to  remain  one  more  day  at 
Sangrador.  Horse  missing  still.  All  men  have  gone 
searching  for  it.  Temperature:  minimum  50^/2°  Fahren- 
heit; maximum  75°  Fahrenheit.  Elevation  2,050  feet.” 

It  was  indeed  a great  treat  to  be  able  to  converse  with 
so  intelligent  a gentleman  as  Father  Malan  after  the 
company  I had  been  in  since  leaving  Goyaz. 

Father  Malan  was  a man  with  a heart  of  gold  and 
great  courage.  Under  him  the  Salesians  will  some  day 
continue  their  good  work  and  spread  happiness  and  cul- 
ture among  the  few  Indians  who  now  remain  in  Matto 

271 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


Grosso.  What  had  already  been  done  by  the  Salesians 
was  amazing.  No  doubt,  with  their  great  enterprise,  they 
would  certainly  continue  their  good  work  of  civilization 
and  science  combined. 

Although  the  Salesians  tried  hard  to  induce  men  to 
accompany  my  expedition,  their  efforts  were  rewarded 
with  no  success;  so  that  I had  to  be  content  with  the 
handful  of  men  I had  with  me.  I foresaw  disaster  from 
that  moment,  for  thirty  was  the  least  number  of  men  I 
needed  to  carry  out  my  work  properly  — and  thirty  good 
men  at  that.  Instead,  I had  only  six  men,  two  of  them 
extraordinarily  plucky  but  quite  uncontrollable;  the 
others  absolutely  worthless. 

Had  I been  a wise  man  I should  have  turned  back. 
But  I am  not  a wise  man,  and  I never  turn  back;  so  that 
there  only  remained  one  thing  to  do  — go  on  as  best  I 
could,  come  what  might. 


272 


CHAPTER  XX 


Wild  Animals  — An  Immense  Chasm  — Interesting  Cloud  Effects 

ON  May  thirty-first  (thermometer:  minimum  56°, 
maximum  74°  Fahrenheit)  I decided  to  abandon 
the  missing  horse  and  proceed  on  my  journey.  I 
suspected,  with  reason,  that  the  animal  had  been  stolen. 
It  was  no  use  wasting  any  more  time  searching  for  it.  We 
thus  bade  good-bye  for  good  to  the  Salesians,  and  left  the 
great  basin  of  the  Sangrador  River  (elevation  2,050  feet). 

We  travelled  over  sparsely  wooded  country  to  2,350 
feet.  Tobacco-coloured  soil  was  still  under  our  feet, 
yellow  spattered  lava,  then  again  reddish  soil,  wonderfully 
rich  and  fertile,  if  only  it  could  be  cultivated.  The 
country  was  here  peculiar  for  its  many  undulations  until 
we  arrived  on  the  rim  of  a large  basin,  extending  from 
northwest  to  southeast,  of  great  campos,  with  stunted 
vegetation  at  first,  but  later  with  a truly  luxuriant  growth 
of  vigorous-looking  Jtauba  preta  ( Oreodaphne  Hookeri- 
ana  Meissn.),  with  thick,  deep  green  foliage. 

We  crossed  two  streamlets  flowing  north.  On  going 
uphill  we  travelled  on  masses  of  volcanic  pellets  ( elevation 
2,500  feet).  To  the  south  we  could  see  a number  of  hills, 
the  sides  of  which  showed  the  great  effects  of  erosion  by 
wind  and  water.  Nearly  all  those  hill  ranges  extended 
from  east  to  west.  A long  depression  could  be  observed, 
cutting  them  from  north  to  south. 

That  was  a fine  day  for  cloud  effects,  especially  along 
the  horizon,  where  they  displayed  horizontal  lines,  while 
they  had  great,  ball-like  tops.  Higher  up,  to  the  north- 

vol.  i.  — is  273 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


west,  feathery  mist  turned  the  sky  to  a delicate  pale  blue. 
A heavy,  immense  stratum  of  cloud  in  four  perfectly 
parallel  terraces  extended  on  the  arc  from  west  to  north. 

We  descended  into  a cuvette  with  the  usual  cluster 
of  vegetation  in  the  centre  and  campos  around.  To  the 
southwest  of  that  cuvette  was  an  elongated  but  well- 
rounded  mountain,  extending  from  east  to  west,  and 
beyond,  to  the  south-southwest,  in  the  far  distance,  an 
almost  identical  replica  of  it.  We  travelled  on  deep 
volcanic  sand  on  the  west  slope  of  the  cuvette  and  in  deep 
ashes  at  the  bottom  until  we  arrived  at  the  Sangradorzinho 
River,  flowing  north. 

June  first  (thermometer  minimum  55^°  Fahrenheit; 
maximum  74°;  elevation  2,150  feet).  Heavy  mist  and 
rain-clouds,  heavy  and  sultry  atmosphere.  Sky  almost 
entirely  covered  by  clouds. 

Owing  to  trouble  among  my  followers  and  waiting 
for  one  of  my  men,  who  had  remained  behind  in  a last 
effort  to  find  the  missing  horse,  we  were  unable  to  leave 
camp  until  nearly  noon.  We  rose  to  an  elevation  of  2,400 
feet,  leaving  behind  the  great  cuvette,  and  marching  over 
parallel  domes,  extending  from  north  to  south.  Between 
those  domes  in  the  depressions  were  sandy  cuvettes  of 
verdant  grass  and  the  usual  central  bosquets. 

Cinders  and  sand  were  still  plentiful,  with  stunted, 
thin  trees  growing  upon  them.  Several  times  that  day  we 
reached  an  elevation  of  2,550  feet.  After  passing  a 
streamlet  flowing  north,  we  kept  at  that  elevation  for  a 
considerable  distance,  after  which,  having  descended  100 
feet  (2,450  feet),  we  found  ourselves  in  a most  enchant- 
ing, oval-shaped  cuvette  of  cinders,  well  covered  with  fresh 
verdure,  and  in  its  centre  from  north  to  south  a row  of 
burity  palms. 

That  was  indeed  a day  of  great  surprises  in  the  way 
of  scenery.  No  sooner  had  we  left  that  beautiful  cuvette 
than  we  came  to  a magnificent,  flat,  open  valley  extending 

274 


NARROW  ESCAPES 


from  east-southeast  to  west-northwest.  In  its  northern 
part,  where  a pool  of  stagnant  water  was  to  be  found,  were 
innumerable  burity  palms.  It  was  evident  that  during 
the  rainy  season  that  plain  (elevation  2,350  feet)  must  be 
entirely  under  water.  In  many  places  it  was  swampy, 
even  at  the  time  of  my  visit.  It  was  most  refreshing  to 
the  eyes  to  see  such  expanses  of  green,  healthy  grass.  The 
mules  and  horses  enjoyed  it  more  than  we  did,  neighing 
to  their  hearts’  content  when  we  emerged  into  the  great, 
verdant  meadow.  They  tore  with  their  teeth  at  the 
delicious  grass  as  they  cantered  along  gaily. 

Some  of  the  enjoyment  of  the  delightful  scenery  was 
taken  away  from  me  — not  only  that  day,  but  every  day 
during  almost  an  entire  year  — because  of  the  stupid  ob- 
stinacy of  my  men.  They  carried  their  magazine  rifles 
fully  loaded,  eight  cartridges  in  each,  and  while  marching 
insisted  on  keeping  the  rifles  cocked ; they  would  not  hear 
of  keeping  them  at  safety,  so  that  any  extra  jerk  or  a twig 
of  a tree  catching  the  trigger  might  cause  the  weapons  to 
go  off  at  any  moment.  This  would  have  mattered  little 
if  they  had  slung  their  rifles  in  the  usual  way,  pointing 
skyward  or  else  towards  the  earth.  But  no  — one  could 
never  induce  a Brazilian  to  do  things  in  a sensible  way. 
No,  indeed;  they  must  carry  their  rifles  horizontally  upon 
the  shoulder,  the  muzzles  of  the  nearest  weapons  always 
pointing  at  me.  It  was  no  use  remonstrating,  as  they 
might  perhaps  have  misunderstood  it  as  fear.  So  all  I could 
do  was  to  trust  in  Providence.  I could  not  have  done  bet- 
ter, for  Providence  indeed  watched  over  me  and  protected 
me  on  that  expedition  in  a most  merciful  way,  for  which  I 
am  truly  grateful.  On  several  occasions,  as  was  to  be  ex- 
pected from  the  careless  way  in  which  the  weapons  were 
carried,  now  one  rifle  then  another  went  off  unexpectedly, 
and  I came  mighty  near  being  shot.  On  other  occasions 
the  mides  had  narrow  escapes.  Once  a bullet  went  right 
through  the  hat  of  one  of  my  men,  just  missing  his  head. 

275 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


In  any  case,  I beg  the  reader  to  realize  how  pleasant 
it  was  to  have  the  muzzle  of  a loaded  rifle,  ready  to  be 
fired,  pointing  at  you  in  front  for  an  average  of  eight  to 
twelve  hours  a day  for  several  months.  I generally  rode 
last  in  the  caravan  in  order  to  prevent  straggling,  and 
also  to  see  that  any  baggage  which  fell  off  the  pack-saddles 
was  recovered.  This  was  unpleasant  in  more  ways  than 
one:  first  the  clouds  of  dust  raised  by  the  animals,  as  we 
marched  over  the  sand  and  cinders,  filled  my  eyes,  mouth, 
and  nose;  then  the  constant  attention  to  watch  for  lost 
baggage,  besides  the  work  of  writing  my  notes  as  we  rode 
along.  The  sound  of  the  dangling  bells  on  the  mules  was 
monotonous  to  a degree,  and  so  was  the  aspect  of  the 
animals’  tails,  swinging  and  slashing  from  one  side  to  the 
other  in  order  to  drive  away  tormenting  flies.  Occa- 
sionally, when  stung  fiercely  by  a horse-fly,  one  or  two 
animals  would  dash  away  wildly,  tearing  off  in  their 
career  low  branches  of  trees  and  even  altogether  knocking 
down  good-sized  trees,  four  or  five  inches  in  diameter. 

This  would  seem  impossible  in  any  other  country,  but 
not  in  Brazil,  where  the  majority  of  the  trees  were  nearly 
entirely  eaten  up  inside  by  ants.  The  roots,  owing  to 
the  substratum  of  lava  spread  horizontally  near  the  sur- 
face, offered  little  resistance  to  side  pressure  upon  the  tree 
itself,  so  that  frequently  even  the  weight  of  a man  leaning 
against  a tree  was  sufficient  to  knock  it  down.  I never 
shall  forget  how  impressed  I was  the  first  time  I saw 
my  men  cut  the  way  through  the  forest,  slashing  down, 
right  and  left,  good-sized  trees  with  one  swing  each 
of  their  falcon  — heavy-bladed  knives  some  two  feet 
long. 

What  terrific  strength!  I thought,  until  I happened 
to  lean  against  a tree,  and  down  went  the  tree  and  myself 
too.  Upon  examination  I found  that  merely  the  bark 
remained,  with  a few  filaments  inside,  the  rest  of  the 
interior  having  been  entirely  devoured  by  ants.  Yet  some 

276 


THE  TREES  OF  MATTO  GROSSO 


of  the  top  branches  seemed  still  alive  and  had  leaves. 
Again,  even  when  quite  sound,  those  trees  were  extremely 
ansemic  and  soft,  quite  watery  inside,  and  could  be  cut 
almost  as  easily  as  celery. 

This  does  not  mean  that  all  the  trees  of  Brazil  were 
worthless.  No,  indeed.  These  remarks  apply  merely  to 
that  particular  portion  of  Brazil  in  which  I was  then 
travelling  — where,  barring  the  burity  palms  in  the  moist 
lands  and  marshes,  the  trees  were  mostly  rickety  and 
dwarfed,  with  mouldy  barks,  malformed  limbs,  and  scanty 
leaves.  That  is  why,  when  we  came  to  the  healthy  mass  of 
burity  palms  and  the  young  grass,  one  felt  just  the  same 
as  when,  after  having  been  through  a hospital,  one  emerges 
into  the  fresh  air  among  healthy  people. 

That  night  we  encamped  on  the  heavenly  meadow. 
We  felt  we  had  reached  Paradise.  For  the  first  time  great 
flocks  of  parrots  and  gorgeously  coloured  macaws  played 
about  and  enlivened  the  air  with  their  shrill  whistles  and 
shrieks,  and  flew  over  the  palms,  gently  swung  to  and 
fro  by  the  wind.  Then  innumerable  colibris  — the  tiny 
humming-birds,  of  marvellous  iridescent,  metallic  tints  — 
sucked  from  one  or  another  flower  while  still  flying.  In- 
deed, that  spot  seemed  the  rendezvous  of  all  the  animals 
of  that  region.  There  you  found  on^as  (jaguar),  anta  (a 
large  pachyderm) , the  Tapirus  A meric  anus,  the  tamandua 
bandeira,  with  its  worm-like  tongue  (or  Myrmecophaga 
jubata ),  and  plenty  of  veado  ( Cervus  elaphus) . The 
footmarks  of  all  those  animals  were  innumerable  near  the 
water. 

The  man  I had  left  behind  in  order  to  make  a further 
attempt  at  recovering  the  lost  horse  arrived  that  evening, 
his  search  having  been  unsuccessful.  Undoubtedly  the 
horse  had  been  stolen. 

Although  the  place  where  we  had  made  camp  was  a 
regular  paradise  to  look  at  — in  the  daytime  — it  might 
have  been  compared  to  warmer  regions  at  night.  Mos- 

277 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


quitoes  of  all  sizes  and  of  all  degrees  of  viciousness  rose 
in  swarms  from  the  swamp  at  sunset,  and  made  our  life 
absolutely  miserable.  To  counterbalance  the  torture  we 
had  a wonderful  sunset  to  look  at.  First,  the  sky,  of  a 
golden  colour,  was  intersected  by  graceful  curves  dividing 
it  into  sections  like  a melon;  then  it  gradually  became 
overladen  with  horizontal  black  and  crimson  lines  to  the 
west,  black  to  the  east  and  overhead. 

June  the  second  was  my  birthday.  I am  superstitious 
by  nature,  and  I would  have  given  anything  to  celebrate 
it  with  some  lucky  event,  although  I was  at  a loss  to  think 
of  anything  lucky  that  could  have  happened  to  me  there. 
Indeed,  I began  my  new  year  badly,  much  worse  even 
than  I expected.  That  was  an  ill-omen  to  me.  First  of 
all  there  was  a terrible  row  among  my  men  in  camp. 
They  had  taken  to  their  rifles.  They  wanted  to  shoot  the 
cook.  The  man  deserved  punishment,  perhaps,  but  not 
quite  so  severe  a one.  After  a great  deal  of  arguing,  I 
quieted  them  and  got  them  to  lay  down  their  weapons. 
The  cook’s  life  was  spared  — worse  luck  for  me.  I was 
sorry  for  it  when  I had  my  breakfast,  for  cooking  more 
diabolical  than  his  could  not  be  imagined.  During  break- 
fast the  news  came  that  another  horse  of  my  caravan  had 
been  lost.  So  there  was  the  prospect  of  another  day 
wasted  to  recover  it.  My  men  were  unable  to  trace  it,  so 
I resigned  myself  to  the  monetary  loss  and  also  to  the 
inconvenience  its  absence  would  cause  us. 

My  men  felt  the  cold  intensely  during  the  night,  the 
thermometer  being  as  low  as  51°  Fahrenheit  (minimum). 
During  the  day  the  maximum  temperature  was  85° 
Fahrenheit  and  96°  in  the  sun. 

My  only  consolation  that  day  was  watching  the 
innumerable  birds  and  gazing  at  the  magnificent  sunset. 
The  latter  consisted  that  evening  of  three  lines  forming 
arches  — two  black  to  the  west  and  the  third  white  — 
stretching  across  the  sky  from  north  to  south.  From  the 

278 


/ 


BAD  WATER 


higher  black  line  radiations  spread,  subdividing  the  sky 
into  rectangular  designs — of  almost  equal  size.  To  the 
east  were  great  globular  masses  of  mist,  somewhat 
confused  in  shape. 

The  water  at  this  camp  was  bad,  the  marsh  being 
over  a bed  of  decayed  vegetable  matter,  which  rendered 
the  water  of  a brownish  black  colour,  like  strong  tea.  Its 
taste  was  foul.  By  digging  a well  a few  yards  from  the 
lagoon  I succeeded,  however,  in  obtaining  clean  and  good 
water,  which  filtered  through  the  ashes  and  sand. 

Our  camp  was  at  an  elevation  of  2,300  feet.  During 
the  night,  June  2-3,  the  thermometer  was  higher  than 
usual  (minimum  58°  Fahrenheit),  but  my  men  felt  the 
cold  more  than  the  previous  night  because  of  the  heavy 
mist  which  set  in  after  sunset,  followed  by  a drizzling 
rain  which  damped  everything.  My  men  were  all  attacked 
by  fever,  which  rendered  them  more  irritable  and  ill- 
tempered  than  ever  — if  possible. 

We  did  not  leave  camp  until  11.30  a.m.,  rising  again 
to  the  summit  of  the  plateau  some  fifty  feet  higher.  There 
we  had  to  describe  a wide  arc  of  a circle,  as  through  the 
trees  we  perceived  on  our  left  an  immense  chasm,  beyond 
which  was  a much  disturbed  landscape  of  striking  rugged- 
ness. We  could  see  a huge  circular  crater  with  eroded 
lips,  rising  like  the  chipped  edges  of  a gigantic  cup,  in 
the  centre  of  the  great  volcanic  basin.  That  depression 
with  high  vertical  walls  all  round  displayed  a large  gap 
to  the  west-northwest,  and  another  to  the  southwest. 

Twelve  kilometres  from  our  last  camp  — and  still 
marching  along  the  edge  of  the  circle  on  the  summit  of  the 
plateau  - — we  came  to  a grassy  cuvette,  and  then  to  an- 
other hollow  with  a few  burity  palms.  The  wall  over- 
looking the  great  circular  depression  was  perpendicular, 
of  red,  igneous  rock,  with  projecting  spurs  ending  in 
conical,  much-corrugated  hills.  The  curious  opening  to 
the  southwest  was  much  broken  up  in  two  places  with 

279 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


gaps.  In  the  distance  beyond  were  three  ranges  of  hills, 
the  colour  of  which  appeared  a pure  cobalt  blue. 

The  central  crater  was  formed  by  rugged  red  walls 
with  spurs  on  the  east  and  southeast  sides.  In  the  bottom 
was  water  with  trees  all  around  its  edge.  There  were 
four  square  holes  from  which  boiling  water  gurgled  like 
feeble  geysers,  and  three  more  holes  of  a more  irregular 
shape. 

The  hill  range  on  which  we  stood  projected  well  into 
the  centre  of  the  great,  circular  basin.  It  had  on  the 
west  side  perfectly  vertical  walls  of  black  igneous  rock. 
Its  summit  was  chiefly  formed  of  ferruginous,  erupted 
rock  thrown  up  while  in  a state  of  ebullition,  which  had 
cooled  into  a conglomerate  of  minute,  globular  masses, 
in  shape  like  the  bubbles  of  boiling  water.  The  great 
circle  around  us,  as  we  stood  on  the  outermost  point  of 
the  projecting  spur,  was  most  impressive,  with  its 
brilliantly  coloured,  red  walls. 

My  men  killed  a coati  — a peculiar,  long-nosed,  car- 
nivorous animal,  which  had  characteristics  in  common  with 
dogs,  monkeys,  and  pigs.  There  were  two  kinds  of  coati 
or  guati,  viz.  the  coati  de  mundeo  ( Nasua  solitaria ),  and 
the  coati  de  bando  ( Nasua  socialis) . Ours  was  a Nasua 
solitaria.  It  was  a beautiful  little  animal,  about  the  size 
of  a small  cat,  with  a wonderfully  soft  brown  coat  on  its 
back,  a yellowish  red  belly  and  bright  yellow  chest  and 
throat.  The  chin  was  as  white  as  snow.  The  long  tail,  one 
and  a half  feet  long,  was  in  black  and  yellow  rings.  It 
possessed  powerful  fangs  on  both  the  upper  and  lower 
jaws,  a long,  black,  gritty  or  granular  tongue,  short  ears, 
powerful,  short  fore-paws  with  long  nails  — quite  dog- 
like; long  thighs,  extremely  strong,  short  hips  and  hind 
legs,  with  callosity  up  to  the  knee  — evidently  to  allow 
that  part  of  the  leg  to  rest  flat  upon  the  ground.  The 
coati  had  velvety  black  eyes  of  great  beauty,  well  set  in 
its  small,  well-shaped  head.  It  was  a wild  little  fellow, 

280 


CABECEIRA  KOXTEH 
* 

extremely  agile,  and  could  kill  a dog  much  larger  than 
itself  with  comparative  ease. 

We  circled  the  eastern  and  northern  part  of  the  great 
cauldron,  always  remaining  on  the  summit  of  the  plateau 
at  elevations  varying  from  2,250  to  2,300  feet.  We  came 
upon  patches  of  violet-coloured  and  then  tobacco-coloured 
sand,  and  also  upon  quantities  of  dark  brown  sand,  gen- 
erally consolidated  into  easily  friable  rock.  There  were 
the  usual  deposits  of  grey  ashes  over  the  underlying 
volcanic  rock  which  peeped  through  here  and  there. 

On  June  fourth  we  were  at  the  Cabe^eira  Koiteh 
(temperature,  minimum  53°  Fahrenheit;  maximum  80° 
Fahrenheit;  elevation  2,100  feet).  Close  to  this  camp, 
from  an  outstretching  spur,  I obtained  another  magnifi- 
cent view.  To  the  east-southeast  stretched  from  northeast 
to  southwest  a flat  plateau,  and  to  the  east  a flat,  mountain- 
ous block  with  an  eroded  passage.  Headlands  branched 
off  from  the  northern  side  of  the  ridges  in  a northeasterly 
direction.  Between  them  were  basins  thickly  wooded  in 
their  lower  depressions.  The  northeastern  portion  of  the 
flat  range  was  almost  vertical,  with  many  angular  and 
sharply  pointed  spurs  projecting  from  it. 

In  the  centre  of  the  greater  basin,  of  which  the  others 
were  details,  a low,  convex  ridge  bulged  out,  with  three 
conical  peaks  — two  of  them  at  the  highest  point  of  the 
curve.  Between  the  first  and  second  cone  two  twin  sub-  * 
craters  were  visible  — evidently  the  two  twin  circles  had 
formed  part  of  the  same  crater  — in  the  mountain  side 
of  the  distant  range.  A third  crater  was  some  distance 
off  to  the  southwest. 

To  the  southwest  in  the  background  was  a fine  view 
of  flat  highlands  with  huge,  tower-like  rocks  standing 
upright  upon  them.  Then  to  the  south-southwest  a 
regular,  vertical  dyke  of  rock  stood  on  the  top  of  an 
elongated,  conical  base. 

The  elevation  on  the  summit  of  the  spur  from  which 

281 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


we  obtained  this  lovely  panorama  was  2,200  feet  — or 
no  more  than  100  feet  higher  than  our  camp. 

We  travelled  again  that  same  day  on  the  northern 
edge  of  the  great  depression,  and  met  three  more  cuvettes 
of  grey  ashes  with  an  abundant  central  growth  of  buritys. 
These  were  at  a general  elevation  of  2,300  feet,  the  bottom 
of  the  depression  being  fifty  feet  lower.  On  descending 
from  the  tableland,  through  a gap  we  discerned  far  away 
to  the  south  a long,  flat-topped  plateau  extending  from 
southwest  to  northeast  and  having  a precipitous  wall-face. 

We  got  down  to  the  Caxoeirinha  stream,  where  we 
found  an  abandoned  hut  in  the  eroded  hollow  of  the 
stream.  The  water  flowed  there  over  a bed  of  red  lava 
and  extremely  hard,  conglomerate  rock  made  up  of  lava 
pebbles  and  solidified  ashes.  Above  this  at  the  sides  of 
the  stream  was  a stratum  some  ten  feet  thick  of  grey 
ashes,  and  above  it  a stratum  two  feet  thick  of  red  volcanic 
dust  and  sand. 

As  we  got  higher  again  and  I stood  on  a projecting 
promontory,  another  wonderful  view  spread  itself  before 
me.  The  sun,  nearly  setting,  in  glorious  white  radiations, 
cast  deep  blue  and  violet-coloured  shadows  upon  the  great 
abyss  to  my  right  (northwest)  which  was  a kilometre  or 
more  in  diameter  and  more  than  300  feet  deep — surely 
another  great  crater.  It  seemed  as  if  a natural  wall  of 
rock  must  have  once  existed,  joining  the  promontory  on 
which  I stood  to  the  great  mass  of  prismatic,  red,  volcanic 
rock  to  the  west  of  us,  and  ending  in  a flat  triangle  with 
a wide  base.  The  surface  soil  on  the  height  of  the 
peninsula  was  of  spattered  lava  and  black,  broiled  rock 
and  pellets. 

The  bottom  of  the  abyss  formed  two  sweeping  undula- 
tions — the  second  from  the  centre  much  higher  than  the 
first — seemingly  a great  wave  of  lava  vomited  by  the 
crater,  by  which  probably  the  destruction  of  the  wall 
joining  the  peninsula  had  been  caused. 

282 


S.  LOURENCO  RIVER 

* 

To  the  south-southeast  in  the  distance  stood  a high 
mountain  range,  or  rather  a great  flat-topped  plateau  of 
delicate,  cobalt  blue  shades,  almost  losing  itself  in  the 
sky.  To  the  east,  completing  the  circle,  were  two  other 
great  spurs  of  red-baked  rock,  with  precipitous,  almost 
vertical,  sides  and  with  much-striated  buttresses  that 
ended  in  conical  mounds  — eroded  into  that  shape  by  the 
action  of  water  and  wind. 

To  the  south,  beyond,  a sloping  tableland  with  a 
pronounced  dip  eastward  extended  from  east  to  west.  It 
towered  over  everything,  and  was  shaped  like  a trapezium. 
In  front  of  this  sloping  tableland  was  another  long,  flat- 
topped  range,  stretching  from  east-southeast  to  west- 
northwest.  Again  in  front  of  this  could  be  seen  an 
interesting  series  of  prismatic  mounds,  like  parallel  bar- 
riers. To  the  south-southwest  rose  a large  mountainous 
mass  — another  plateau.  Then  came  a second  range,  cut 
into  clear  pyramids  with  rectangular  bases,  and,  beyond, 
a great  expanse  of  lovely  green  with  some  large  mounds 
of  a similar  shape  to  those  already  described.  Two  more 
pyramids  were  also  to  be  observed  far,  far  in  the  distance, 
while  others  of  a slightly  less  angular  shape  were 
noticeable  upon  the  great  flat  stretch  due  west. 

Right  under  us,  at  the  bottom  of  the  precipice,  was 
thick  forest  covering,  zigzag  fashion,  the  two  depressions, 
roughly  in  a general  direction  of  southeast  to  northwest. 
Those  two  depressions  drained  that  immense  basin.  It 
was  there  that  the  streamlet  Caxoeirinha  had  its  birth. 
The  Caxoeirinha  flowed  northwest  and  fell  into  the  Ponte 
de  Pedra  River,  which  flowed  south.  Those  two  streams, 
with  a number  of  others,  formed  the  head-waters  of  the 
great  S.  Louren(y>  River,  a formidable  tributary  of  the 
Rio  Paraguajr  or  Parana. 

An  extraordinary  effect  of  clouds  could  be  seen  that 
day,  and  a similar  occurrence  I saw  on  many  other 
occasions  upon  the  tablelands  of  Matto  Grosso.  The 

283 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


clouds  reproduced,  upside-down,  the  configuration  of  the 
country  directly  underneath  them.  That  was  due,  no 
doubt,  to  the  air  currents  diverted  by  the  obstacles  on  the 
earth’s  surface,  which  caused  the  masses  of  mist  above  to 
assume  similar  forms  — but  of  course,  as  I have  said, 
upside-down. 

We  were  still  at  an  elevation  of  2,150  feet.  The 
temperature  during  the  night  went  down  to  52°  Fahren- 
heit. My  men,  as  usual,  suffered  intensely  from  the  cold 
— at  least,  judging  by  the  noise  they  made,  the  moans 
and  groans  and  chattering  of  teeth.  They  nearly  all  had 
violent  toothache.  Alcides,  too,  apparently  went  through 
agony,  but  he  showed  a little  more  manliness  than  the 
rest  and  did  not  make  quite  such  a pitiful  exhibition  of 
himself. 

It  was  curious  how  certain  racial  characteristics  were 
difficult  to  suppress  in  individuals.  Alcides  had  some 
German  blood  in  him  — rather  far  removed.  He  could 
not  speak  German,  nor  did  he  know  anything  about 
Germany.  Yet  German  characteristics  came  out  in  him 
constantly.  For  instance,  the  uncontrollable  desire  to 
write  his  own  name  and  that  of  his  lady-love  on  trees  and 
rocks  all  along  our  j>assage.  Alcides  was  really  very  good 
at  calligraphy,  and  some  of  his  inscriptions  and  ornamen- 
tations were  real  works  of  art.  Many  half-hours  did  we 
have  to  waste  at  the  different  camps,  waiting  for  Alcides 
to  finish  up  the  record  of  his  passage  in  that  country, 
and  many  blades  of  penknives  — I had  a good  supply  of 
them  to  give  as  presents  to  natives  — did  he  render  useless 
in  incising  the  lettering  on  the  trees  and  stones. 

Filippe  the  negro,  who  was  the  best-natured  of  the  lot, 
had  become  quite  swelled-headed  with  the  big  salary  he 
received.  Arithmetic  was  not  his  forte.  As  he  could 
hardly  write,  he  was  trying  to  work  out,  with  a number 
of  sticks,  each  representing  one  day’s  salary,  how  much 
money  he  had  already  earned,  and  how  much  more  he  was 

28i 


FILIPPE’S  DREAM 


likely  to  earn.  It  evidently  seemed  to  him  a large  fortune 

— indeed  it  was  — and  his  plans  of  what  he  would  do 
with  all  that  money  in  the  future  were  amusing.  First  of 
all,  the  idee  fixe  in  his  mind  was  the  purchase  of  a 
mallettinha,  a small  trunk  with  a strong  lock,  in  which  to 
keep  his  money  and  his  clothes.  I took  advantage  of  this 
to  tell  Filippe  — they  were  all  just  like  spoiled  children 

— that  the  best  place  for  mallettinhas  was  Manaos,  our 
chief  objective  on  the  river  Amazon,  some  1,800  kilo- 
metres away  from  that  point  as  the  crow  flew,  and  at  least 
about  four  times  that  distance  by  the  way  we  should  travel. 
Many  times  a day  I had  to  repeat  to  Filippe  glowing 
descriptions  of  the  wonders  of  the  mallettinhas,  and  I got 
him  so  enamoured  of  the  mallettinhas  to  be  got  at  Manaos 
that  I made  certain  that  Filippe  at  least  would  come  along 
and  not  leave  me.  I was  sure  of  one  thing:  that  nowhere 
in  the  intervening  country  would  he  be  able  to  procure 
himself  a little  trunk  — nor,  indeed,  could  one  procure 
oneself  anything  else. 

I supplied  my  men  with  ample  tobacco.  Filippe,  all 
day  and  a great  part  of  the  night,  was  smoking  a pipe. 
Owing  to  constant  quarrels  among  my  men,  I had  turned 
him  into  a cook.  When  in  camp  he  had  to  sit  hour  after 
hour  watching  the  boiling  of  the  feijao.  Enveloped  in 
clouds  of  smoke,  Filippe,  with  his  pipe,  sat  in  a reverie, 
dreaming  about  the  mallettinha.  He  was  quite  a good 
fellow,  and  at  any  rate  he  did  work  when  ordered. 

All  my  men  had  been  given  small  pocket  mirrors  — 
without  which  no  Brazilian  will  travel  anywhere.  It  was 
amusing  to  watch  them,  a hundred  times  a day,  gazing 
at  the  reflection  of  their  faces  in  the  glasses.  It  was 
nevertheless  somewhat  trying  to  one’s  temper  when  one 
ordered  a man  to  do  something  and  then  had  to  watch 
him  for  an  endless  time  admiring  his  own  features  in  the 
little  mirror,  and  had  to  repeat  the  order  half  a dozen 
times  before  the  glass  was  duly  cleaned  with  his  elbow 

285 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


or  upon  his  trousers  and  put  away,  and  the  order  care- 
lessly obeyed.  Even  Alcides,  who  was  far  superior  to 
the  others  in  education,  could  not  be  kept  away  from  his 
mirror.  While  riding  he  would  all  the  time  be  gazing  at 
his  features  instead  of  looking  at  the  beautiful  scenery 
around  us. 

On  leaving  camp  we  again  reached  the  summit  of  the 
plateau  (elevation  2,300  feet),  with  its  patches  of  red, 
volcanic  earth,  violet-coloured  sand,  and  snuff-coloured 
dust  — extremely  fine  in  quality.  After  crossing  a stream- 
let flowing  south,  we  again  continued  our  journey  on  the 
flat  plateau,  slightly  higher  at  that  point,  or  2,400  feet. 

We  were  in  the  great  plain  crossed  by  the  Ponte  de 
Pedra  rivulet,  flowing  southward.  Once  more  we  obtained 
a gorgeous  view  looking  south.  Four  parallel  ranges, 
stretching  roughly  from  southeast  to  northwest,  stood  in 
all  their  grandeur  before  us.  They  were  of  brilliant  red, 
volcanic  rock.  On  the  second  range  from  us,  rose  a 
curious,  square  block  of  rock  of  gigantic  size,  resembling 
a castle  with  its  door  and  all.  In  the  distance,  to  the 
southwest,  erosion  seemed  to  have  taken  place  on  a great 
scale  in  the  side  of  the  tableland. 

The  highest  point  we  had  so  far  reached  on  the  plateau 
on  which  we  were  travelling  since  leaving  the  Araguaya 
wras  2,400  feet.  There  again  we  found  another  of  the 
extensive  grassy  cuvettes  — the  flat  bottom  of  which  was 
only  thirty  feet  lower  than  the  highest  point  of  the  plateau. 
A luxuriant  growth  of  burity  palms  and  birero  trees 
adorned  the  centre,  the  latter  very  tall  and  handsome,  with 
smooth,  white  hark  and  only  a dense  tuft  of  dark  green 
foliage  at  their  tops.  In  the  cuvettes  I saw,  the  growth  of 
the  tall  vegetation  invariably  ran  the  long  way  of  the  oval. 

The  sky  that  evening  showed  great  streaks  of 
transparent  lines  of  mist  from  west  to  east,  the  central 
radiations  of  these  being  formed  of  lines  so  precisely 
parallel  that  they  seemed  to  have  been  drawn  with  rule 

286 


THE  SUNSETS  IN  BRAZIL 


and  dividers.  Directly  overhead  those  lines  gradually 
blended  into  a more  indefinite  mass.  The  radiations  did 
not  begin  from  the  vanishing  sun  on  the  horizon,  nor  at 
the  point  diametrically  opposite  on  the  east,  but  began 
to  appear  only  one  tenth  up  the  entire  circle  of  the  sky, 
both  west  and  east. 

Almost  globular  cloudlets,  with  the  lower  section  cut 
off  in  a horizontal  plane  — quite  typical,  as  we  have  seen, 
of  the  cloud  formation  on  that  Central  Brazil  plateau  — 
crowded  the  sky,  quite  low  to  the  north,  and  also  a great 
many  small,  ball-like  clouds,  which  showed  with  some 
brilliancy  against  the  blue  sky. 

The  sunsets  in  Central  Brazil  were  to  me  always  a 
source  of  intense  joy,  interest,  and  admiration.  With 
certain  characteristics  which  repeated  themselves  fre- 
quently, they  always  displayed  wonderful  effects  of  light 
and  a most  peculiar  formation  of  clouds. 

Before  reaching  camp  we  passed  another  oval  cuvette 
with  a longitudinal  row  of  trees,  so  green  and  tidy  as  to 
be  just  like  a portion  of  a well-kept  English  park  (eleva- 
tion 2,350  feet).  Another  bit  of  wonderful  scenery,  with 
immense,  prismatic,  rocky  mountains  — really  more  like 
dykes  — appeared  in  the  distance ; and  also  a vertical, 
walled  mountain  in  the  foreground. 


287 


CHAPTER  XXI 


A Beautiful  Lagoon  — Strange  Lunar  Display  — Waves  of  Lava  — 
Curious  Grottoes  — Rock  Carvings  — A Beautiful  Waterfall  ' 

WE  camped  at  the  Lagoa  Formosa  — or  “ Beautiful 
Lagoon  ” — a large,  verdant,  oval-shaped  lagoon, 
entirely  covered  with  grass,  only  140  feet  lower 
than  the  top  of  the  plateau  (elevation  2,290  feet). 
Barring  a slight  undulation  in  the  land  to  the  northeast 
of  the  marsh,  the  country  was  there  absolutely  flat. 

At  night  I witnessed  a marvellous  lunar  effect.  The 
half-moon  was  high  up  in  the  sky.  Soon  after  sunset  two 
immense,  concentric  arches  of  mist,  with  their  centres  on 
the  horizon  to  the  east,  shone  like  silver  rings,  their  upper 
edges  being  lighted  by  the  bluish  light  of  the  moon.  With 
the  reflection  of  this  in  the  still  waters  of  the  lagoon,  the 
effect  was  enchanting  and  intensely  picturesque. 

My  men  suffered  a great  deal  from  the  damp  — they 
were  always  suffering  from  everything:  from  the  heat  of 
the  sun,  the  rain,  the  cold,  the  long  marches. 

That  night  we  had  a minimum  temperature  of  51° 
Fahrenheit,  the  elevation  of  our  camp  being  2,150  feet. 

Naturally,  over  the  expanse  of  water,  the  sunrise  was 
wonderful.  The  sky  was  well  covered  by  feathery  radia- 
tions from  the  northeast,  which  were  intersected  by 
striations  shooting  skyward  from  east  to  west  and  forming 
a charming  design.  The  radiations  from  the  northeast 
reached  right  across  the  sky  as  far  as  the  horizon  to  the 
southwest.  What  astonished  me  most  in  Matto  Grosso 
was  the  characteristic  immobility  of  the  clouds.  In  the 
daytime  they  remained  sometimes  for  hours  with  hardly 

288 


CENTRAL  CLUSTER  OF  TREES  AND  PALMS  IN  CUVETTE 
(matto  GROSSO). 


A GIANT  WAVE  OF  LAVA. 


STRANGE  ROCK  CARVINGS  OF  MATTO  GROSSO. 


GREAT  SQUARE  CASTLES  OF  ROCK 


any  changes  or  movement.  As  soon  as  the  sun  appeared, 
rendering  the  lower  sky  of  a golden  yellow  and  of  vivid 
Indian  red  above,  the  northern  part  of  the  lagoon  was 
enveloped  in  mist,  which  rose  in  angular  blocks,  vertical 
on  the  south  side,  slanting  at  a sharp  angle  on  the  north. 
These  pointed  peaks  of  mist  remained  immobile,  as  if  they 
had  been  solid,  until  the  sun  was  well  up  in  the  sky. 

I went  once  more  to  gaze  at  the  glorious  panorama. 
In  the  morning  light  new  and  important  details  were 
revealed,  such  as  a strange  series  of  dykes  of  a prismatic 
shape,  of  which  I could  count  as  many  as  seven.  Great 
transverse  depressions  or  grooves  from  south-southeast  to 
north-northwest,  with  a dip  south-southeast  could  in  that 
light  be  now  plainly  detected,  and  this  time  two  great 
square  castles  of  rock,  instead  of  one,  were  disclosed  upon 
the  third  range  of  undulations. 

The  high  ridge  to  the  southwest  displayed  a subsidence 
on  a large  scale  in  its  central  portion,  where  bare,  vertical, 
red  walls  had  been  left  standing  on  each  side. 

Then  there  were  various  other  curious,  concave  depres- 
sions or  gateways  formed  in  the  great  tableland,  which  had 
for  its  marked  characteristic  concave  curves  on  all  its 
slopes. 

On  leaving  camp  — nearly  at  noon,  after  a serious 
quarrel  and  fight  among  my  men,  which  left  me  worried 
to  death  by  their  petty  nonsense  and  incessant  grumbling 
— we  journeyed  at  an  elevation  of  2,300  feet,  finding 
shortly  after  an  almost  circular  cuvette  of  deep  grey 
cinders,  100  feet  deep  (elevation  at  the  bottom  2,200  feet) . 

Twelve  kilometres  farther  on  we  came  upon  another 
great  depression  extending  from  east  to  west,  with  an 
enormous  belt  of  grassy  land.  There  was  the  usual  cluster 
of  trees  and  palms  in  the  centre,  but  larger  than  usual. 
To  the  south  were  campos,  lovely  prairies,  with  sparse  and 
stunted  trees  — chiefly  Goma  arabica  or  acacias. 

The  elevation  of  the  upper  edge  of  the  cuvette  was 

vol.  i. — 19  289 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


2,500  feet,  that  of  the  bottom  2,450  feet.  We  continued 
our  journey  on  the  top  of  the  plateau,  with  slight  undula- 
tions varying  in  height  from  fifty  to  seventy  feet.  Snuff- 
coloured  soil  and  red  sand  were  invariably  noticeable  on 
the  higher  points,  and  grey  ashes  in  the  lower  points,  where 
erosion  had  caused  depressions. 

Then,  farther  on,  the  plateau,  with  an  elevation  of 
2,450  feet,  was  absolutely  flat  for  several  kilometres,  and 
showed  sparse  vegetation  and  miserable-looking  anaemic 
trees,  the  thin  soil  over  solid  rock  affording  them 
inadequate  nourishment. 

Eighteen  kilometres  from  our  last  camp  we  came  upon 
another  oval  basin  (elevation  2,400  feet  above  the  sea 
level),  extending  longitudinally  from  north-northeast  to 
south-southwest.  On  its  huge  deposits  of  cinders  grew 
deliciously  green,  fresh-looking,  healthy  grass,  and  a thick 
clump  of  burity  palms,  and  birero  trees  of  immense  height 
and  thick  foliage.  Those  beautiful  trees  were  called  by 
the  people  of  Goyaz  “ cutiba  ” and  “ pintahyba.”  They 
were  marvellous  in  their  wonderful  alignment  among  the 
surrounding  circle  of  gorgeous  palms.  The  latter  were  in 
their  turn  screened  in  their  lower  part  by  a belt  of  low 
scrub,  so  that  upon  looking  at  that  oasis  one  could  hardly 
realize  that  it  had  not  been  geometrically  laid  out  by  the 
hands  of  a skilful  gardener. 

On  the  outer  rim  of  the  cuvette,  away  from  the 
moisture,  hundreds,  in  fact,  thousands  of  cones,  cylinders, 
and  domes,  from  four  to  six  feet  high,  the  work  of  ants, 
could  be  seen,  all  constructed  of  bluish  grey  ashes. 

We  had  here  a wonderful  example,  quite  sufficient  to 
persuade  the  most  sceptical,  of  the  influence  of  agglomera- 
tions of  trees  in  the  formation  of  clouds.  The  sky  was 
perfectly  clear  everywhere  except  directly  above  the 
extensive  cluster  of  trees  in  the  large  cuvette.  Quite  low 
down,  only  a hundred  feet  or  so  above  the  top  of  the  trees, 
hung  a heavy  white  cloud.  It  was  a windless  day.  The 

290 


A TRAGEDY  SUGGESTED 


cloud  ended  on  all  sides  exactly  where  the  trees  ended,  as 
sharply  as  if  it  had  been  cut  with  a knife.  It  looked 
exactly  like  a rectangular  canopy  over  the  luxuriant 
vegetation.  This  appearance  was  intensified  by  undula- 
tions in  the  lower  part  of  the  cloud,  like  festoons. 

In  proceeding  across  the  immense  circular  cuvette,  I 
found  that  the  central  line  of  thick  vegetation  formed 
an  angle.  A streamlet  of  delicious,  crystal-like  water 
emerged  from  among  the  trees.  On  its  bank  lay  the 
skeletons  of  three  mules,  suggesting  a tragedy. 

On  leaving  the  great  cuvette  we  rose  again  to  the  top 
of  the  plateau,  2,550  feet  above  sea  level.  On  descending 
from  a large  dome  to  the  west  over  red  volcanic  sand  and 
red  earth,  half  consolidated  into  rock  easily  friable  under 
slight  pressure,  we  once  more  travelled  across  immense 
campos  in  a depression  of  fine  cinders  and  earth,  extend- 
ing from  north  to  south,  at  an  elevation  of  2,400  feet. 
We  further  traversed  two  other  less  important  depres- 
sions, the  deepest  being  at  an  elevation  of  2,350  feet. 

The  jutting  headlands  of  the  plateau  on  which  we  had 
travelled  were  all  most  precipitous,  nearly  vertical,  and  of 
solid,  dark  red,  volcanic  rock. 

A magnificent  view  next  confronted  us  to  the  south. 
A huge,  black,  square  block  with  a crater  was  before  us, 
and  there  appeared  what  seemed  to  me  to  be  the  remain- 
ing sections  of  a huge  volcanic  vent  and  several  smaller 
funnels.  The  lower  lip  of  the  crater  formed  a terrace. 
Then  another  wider  crater  could  be  perceived  in  a circular 
hollow  of  the  spur  of  the  plateau  on  which  we  had 
travelled,  and  which  stretched  out  into  the  underlying 
plain.  That  spur  extended  from  northeast  to  southwest, 
and  in  it  two  circular  hollows  of  great  size  could  be  noticed, 
the  sides  of  which  were  deeply  fluted. 

During  the  entire  march  that  day  we  had  seen  quanti- 
ties of  violet-coloured  deposits  made  up  of  tiny  crystals, 
carbonized  and  pulverized  rock,  and  ferruginous  dust. 

291 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


On  descending  from  the  summit  of  the  plateau,  by  a 
very  steep  slope,  we  saw  many  shrubs  of  sapatinho , a 
medicinal  plant  of  the  genus  eupliorbiacece  (Euphorbia), 
growing  in  the  interstices  of  red,  igneous  rock,  and  among 
debris  of  marble,  crystals,  and  eruptive  pebbles. 

During  the  night  we  had  a magnificent  lunar  display. 
There  was  a good  deal  of  moisture  in  the  air,  and  mist. 
First  of  all  a gorgeous  lunar  halo  was  observed,  which 
later  vanished  to  leave  room  for  a most  extraordinary, 
geometrical  design  upon  the  partly  moon-illuminated 
clouds  and  masses  of  mist.  A most  perfect,  luminous, 
equilateral  triangle  appeared,  with  its  apex  downwards 
to  the  west  and  the  half-moon  in  the  central  point  of  the 
base-line  of  the  triangle  above.  On  either  side  of  the  apex 
of  the  triangle  faint  concentric  circles  blended  away  into 
the  sky  near  the  horizon.  Later  in  the  night  that  curious 
effect  disappeared,  and  a multiple  lunar  rainbow  of 
amazing  beauty  and  perfection  was  to  be  admired. 

In  ecstasy  at  the  beautiful  sight,  and  in  a moment  of 
forgetfulness,  I drew  the  attention  of  my  men  to  the 
wTonderful  spectacle. 

“That’s  the  moon!”  they  answered,  with  a snarl. 
Talking  among  themselves,  they  contemptuously  added: 
“He  has  never  seen  the  moon  before!  ” and  they  went  on 
with  the  never-changing,  blood-curdling  tales  of  murders 
which  filled  them  nightly  with  delight. 

The  streamlet  flowing  south,  on  the  bank  of  which  we 
camped,  took  its  name  of  Sapatinho  from  the  many 
sapatinho  trees  which  were  in  the  neighbourhood.  It  was 
a curious  watercourse,  which  disappeared  into  a tunnel 
in  the  rock,  to  reappear  only  farther  off  out  of  a hole  in  a 
red  lava-flow. 

We  had  marched  until  late  into  the  night,  and  it  was 
not  until  we  arrived  and  made  camp  that  I noticed  that 
Filippe  the  negro  was  missing.  Several  hours  elapsed, 
and  as  he  had  not  turned  up,  I feared  that  something  had 

292 


WEIRD  LUNAR  EFFECT  WITNESSED  BY  AUTHOR, 


HBH! 


FILIPPE  MISSING 


happened  to  him.  Had  he  been  one  of  the  other  men  I 
should  have  thought  it  a case  of  desertion;  but  Filippe 
was  a good  fellow,  and  I had  felt  from  the  beginning 
that  he  and  Alcides  would  be  the  two  faithful  men  on  that 
expedition.  I went  back  alone  a mile  or  two  in  the 
moonlight  to  try  and  find  him,  but  with  no  success. 

At  sunrise  I ordered  two  men  to  go  in  search  of  him. 
The  fellows,  who  had  no  mercy  whatever  even  for  one 
another,  were  loth  to  go  back  to  look  for  their  companion 
and  his  mount.  When  they  eventually  started  they  each 
took  a pick  to  dig  his  grave  in  case  they  found  him  dead. 
Fortunately  they  had  been  gone  from  camp  only  a few 
minutes  when  I perceived  Filippe  riding  down  the  steep 
incline. 

The  minimum  temperature  was  only  55°  Fahrenheit 
during  the  night,  but  it  was  so  damp  that  my  men  felt  the 
cold  intensely,  especially  as  there  were  gusts  of  a sharp 
breeze  from  the  northeast.  Moreover,  in  the  deep  hollow 
with  thick  grass  in  which  we  camped  (elevation  2,200  feet 
above  the  sea  level)  we  suffered  absolute  torture  from  the 
swarms  of  carrapatos  of  all  sizes,  mosquitoes,  and  flies. 
The  air  and  earth  were  thick  with  them.  The  water  was 
dirty  and  almost  undrinkable,  as  it  passed  through  a lot 
of  decomposing  vegetation. 

I was  glad  when  Filippe  reappeared  and  we  were  able 
to  leave  that  terrible  spot.  Great  undulations  were  now 
met  with,  300  feet  and  more  in  height. 

Only  one  and  a half  kilometres  farther  on  we  came  to 
the  Presidente  stream,  flowing  south  (elevation  2,100 
feet)  over  a bed  of  ashes,  while  its  banks  were  formed  of 
thick  deposits  of  finely  powdered,  yellow,  volcanic  sand 
and  dust. 

We  went  over  a huge  dome  covered  with  a stratum 
of  brown  sand,  exposing  on  its  western  side  a large  wall 
of  igneous  rock  with  much-fissured  strata  dipping  to 
the  northwest.  Immense,  isolated  rocks  showed  vertical 

293 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


strata,  demonstrating  plainly  that  they  had  been  consider- 
ably disturbed  at  some  epoch  or  other. 

We  were  on  the  bank  of  another  stream  (elevation 
1,950  feet)  flowing  south  — the  Capim  Branco.  We  were 
then  in  another  great  and  deep  basin  extending  from  north- 
west to  southeast,  in  the  northwestern  part  of  which  could 
be  seen,  on  the  summit  of  the  rounded  hill-tops  and  spurs, 
an  overlapping  of  rock,  evidently  produced  when  in  a 
molten  condition.  In  the  southwestern  part  of  the  slope 
encircling  this  great  valley  there  stood  another  great  barrier, 
formed  also  by  a flow  of  molten  rock  curling  over  itself,  as 
it  were,  and  above  this  stood  angular  and  pointed  shoots 
of  molten  stuff  of  a subsequent  origin.  Large  slabs  of  the 
latter  could  be  separated  easily  from  the  underlying  flow. 

From  the  summit  of  that  rocky  prominence  was 
obtained  a lovely  panorama  of  a great  plateau,  a portion 
of  which  had  been  eroded  into  a wall  (east-northeast)  with 
three  buttresses : another  portion  was  gradually  assuming 
a similar  shape.  The  plateau  had  a great  spur  projecting 
westward.  A crater  had  formed  with  a broken-up  side  to 
the  west,  leaving  the  conical-shaped  remains  of  its  frag- 
mentary mouth.  The  plateau  ended  after  describing  a 
sweeping  curve  — almost  a semicircle. 

In  the  centre  of  the  immense  basin  before  us  were 
successions  of  high  undulations,  like  great  waves,  extend- 
ing southward  in  parallel  lines  (east  to  west).  From  the 
point  of  vantage  on  which  I stood  I could  count  as  many 
as  eight  of  those  huge  lines  of  waves.  Evidently,  at  some 
remote  period,  it  would  he  difficult  to  say  how  many  thou- 
sands of  years  ago,  that  was  a gigantic  mass  of  molten 
stuff  in  commotion.  In  many  places  it  was  apparent  that 
the  great  waves  of  molten  rock  had  flowed  over  and  partly 
overlapped  the  lower  ones.  In  its  higher,  northeasterly 
point  the  basin  was  wooded. 

The  great  basin  extended  southward.  In  that  direc- 
tion all  the  lower  ridges  with  their  arched  backs  showed  a 

294 


GREAT  WAVE  OF  MOLTEN  MATTER 


depression  or  dip.  On  the  south-southwest  two  more  great 
domes  of  wonderfully  perfect  curves  were  to  be  observed, 
and  on  the  southwest  stood  an  isolated,  gigantic,  quad- 
rangular mountain  of  solid  rock,  with  the  usual  buttresses 
in  the  lower  portion  typical  of  that  region. 

To  the  southeast  a square-shaj>ed  plateau  of  marvel- 
lously graceful  lines  stood  prominent  in  the  centre  of  the 
basin.  In  the  same  direction,  only  a few  hundred  yards 
off,  was  a most  peculiar,  angular  rock,  which  looked  exactly 
like  the  magnified  crest  of  an  immense  wave.  That  was 
just  what  it  had  been  formerly:  the  wave,  of  course,  of  a 
gigantic,  molten  mass  of  rock,  set  in  violent  motion  by  an 
immeasurable  force.  It  was  the  terminal  point  of  the  great 
succession  of  rocky  waves  which  we  had  skirted  to  the 
north  in  order  to  arrive  at  that  point,  and  which  extended 
from  the  great  semicircle  we  had  passed  the  previous  day. 

At  the  terminal  point  of  those  rocky  waves,  or 
wherever  the  rock  was  exposed,  it  was  evident  that  all 
those  undulations  had  received  a similar  movement  and 
had  formed  the  great  backbone  range  of  rock,  fully 
exposed  in  the  last  undulation.  I had  observed  the 
continuation  of  this  great  rock  crest  the  previous  day  in 
the  basin  previous  to  reaching  the  Capim  Branco  valley. 
There  it  crossed  the  spur  on  which  I was  — “ Observation 
Spur,”  I shall  call  it  for  purposes  of  identification  — 
almost  at  right  angles.  It  seemed  as  if  two  forces  had 
been  acting  simultaneously  but  in  different  directions,  and 
at  various  points  had  come  into  conflict  and  eventually 
had  overrun  each  other. 

The  last  great,  rocky  crest  at  Capim  Branco,  when 
seen  in  profile,  looked  like  a huge  monolith  with  a slight 
inclination  to  the  southeast.  The  formation  of  the  rock 
itself  showed  a frothy  appearance,  such  as  is  common  with 
any  liquefied  matter  while  in  a state  of  ebullition. 

It  is  quite  possible,  too,  that  the  great  wave  of  molten 
matter  travelling  from  northeast  to  southwest,  upon 

295 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


encountering  some  obstacle,  had  its  run  interrupted  and 
had  cooled  down,  while  its  upper  portion,  from  the  impetus 
received,  curled  over  the  summit  of  the  arrested,  solidified 
rock  below. 

In  fact,  there  was  jDlenty  of  evidence  to  show  that  while 
the  lower  stratum  cooled  down,  other  sheets  of  lava  flowed 
above  it,  forming  many  successive  layers.  In  the  eastern 
part,  where  they  were  at  an  angle  of  40°,  these  had  cracked 
considerably  in  cooling.  The  central  part  of  the  great 
wave  was  entirely  made  up  of  vertically  fissured  strata. 
The  lower  half  of  the  mass  of  rock  showed  markedly  that 
it  was  an  anterior  wave  to  the  upper. 

There  was  a wide  gap  formed  by  the  volcanic  crack 
between  this  and  the  continuation  of  the  undulations  to 
the  southwest,  which  got  lower  and  lower.  Perhaps  before 
the  crack  occurred  that  hill  was  like  the  others  on  the 
east  and  west  of  it,  padded  with  red  earth.  It  must  have 
become  barren  by  the  great  shock  which  caused  the  surface 
of  the  earth  to  divide,  and  which  no  doubt  shook  the 
surface  deposits  down.  In  examining  its  northeastern 
neighbour  it  could  be  seen  that  it  actually  tumbled  over 
when  the  subsidence  occurred,  leaving  a gap  a few 
hundred  metres  wide. 

A short  distance  beyond,  on  the  south-southeast,  was 
an  interesting  tableland  sloping  to  the  northeast,  on  the 
north  side  of  which  could  be  observed  yet  one  more 
beautiful,  semicircular,  extinct  crater.  The  rim,  or  lip 
of  lava  of  this  crater,  had  fissured  in  such  a peculiar  way 
as  to  give  the  appearance  of  a row  of  rectangular  windows. 
The  sections  of  the  crater  which  remained  standing  showed 
two  conical  buttresses  above  massive  cylindrical  bases. 
From  the  crater  started  a huge,  deep  crack,  30  to  50  feet 
deep  and  20  to  100  feet  wide,  which  farther  down  became 
the  actual  bed  of  the  stream.  On  both  sides  of  this  crack 
was  a deep  deposit  of  red  earth  and  sand,  the  stratum 
below  this  being  a solid  mass  of  lava.  The  crater  on  the 

296 


A GIANT  QUADRANGULAR  BLOCK  OF  ROCK. 


ROCK  CARVINGS  IN  MATTO  GROSSO. 


A PICTURESQUE  WATERFALL  ON  THE  S.  LOURENfO. 


ROCK-CARVINGS 


northeast  side  of  the  mountain  had  an  inclination  to  the 
north,  but  was  quite  vertical  on  the  south  side. 

Beautiful  crystals  were  to  be  found  in  abundance  on 
this  mound,  as  well  as  great  quantities  of  marble  chips 
and  crystallized  rock  in  various  forms. 

On  the  side  of  this  strange  mound  of  rock  I found 
some  curious,  shallow  caves,  formed  by  great  fissures  in 
the  rock.  The  vertical,  outer  walls  of  these  caves  were 
painted  white  with  lime  dissolved  in  water.  There  were 
some  puzzling  carvings,  which  interested  me  greatly.  I 
could  not  quite  make  up  my  mind  at  first  whether  those 
carvings  had  been  made  by  Indians,  or  whether  they  were 
the  work  of  escaped  negro  slaves  who  had  found  shelter 
in  those  distant  caves.  In  character  they  appeared  to  me 
Indian.  Negroes,  as  a rule,  are  not  much  given  to  rock- 
carving in  order  to  record  thoughts  or  events.  Moreover, 
those  primitive  carvings  showed  strong  characteristics  of 
hunting  people,  such  as  the  Indians  were.  There  were 
conventional  attempts  at  designing  human  figures,  both 
male  and  female,  by  mere  lines  such  as  a child  would 
draw:  one  round  dot  for  the  head  and  one  line  each  for 
the  body,  arms,  and  legs.  Curiously  enough  — and  this 
persuaded  me  that  the  drawings  had  been  done  by  Indians 
— none  of  the  figures  possessed  more  than  three  fingers 
or  toes  to  any  extremity.  As  we  have  seen,  the  Indians 
cannot  count  beyond  three,  unlike  members  of  most 
African  tribes,  who  can  all  count  at  least  up  to  five. 
This,  nevertheless,  did  not  apply  to  representations  of 
footmarks,  both  human  and  animal,  which  were  repro- 
duced with  admirable  fidelity,  I think  because  the  actual 
footprints  on  the  rock  itself  had  been  used  as  a guide 
before  the  carving  had  been  made.  I saw  the  representa- 
tion of  a human  footmark,  the  left,  with  five  toes,  and  the 
shape  of  the  foot  correctly  drawn.  Evidently  the  artist 
or  a friend  had  stood  on  his  right  foot  while  applying  the 
left  to  the  side  of  the  rock.  When  they  attempted  to  draw 

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ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


a human  foot  on  a scale  smaller  than  nature,  they  limited 
themselves  to  carving  two  lines  at  a wide  angle,  to  form 
the  heel,  and  five  dots  to  represent  the  toes. 

The  most  wonderful  of  those  rock  carvings  were  the 
footprints  of  the  jaguar  (onpa) , reproduced  with  such 
perfection  that  it  seemed  almost  as  if  they  had  been  left 
there  by  the  animal  itself.  Not  so  happy  were  the  repre- 
sentations of  human  heads,  one,  evidently  of  an  Indian 
chief,  with  an  aureole  of  feathers,  showing  a painfully 
distorted  vision  on  the  part  of  the  artist.  The  eyes  were 
formed  by  two  circles  in  poor  alignment,  the  nose  by  a 
vertical  line,  and  the  mouth,  not  under  but  by  the  side  of 
the  nose,  represented  by  two  concentric  curves. 

A figure  in  a sitting  posture  was  interesting  enough, 
like  a T upside  down,  with  a globe  for  a head  and  a cross- 
bar for  arms.  The  hands  had  three  fingers  each,  but  there 
were  only  two  toes  to  each  foot. 

It  was  interesting  to  note  how  the  sculptors  of  those 
images  caught,  in  a rudimentary  way,  the  character  of 
the  subjects  represented.  This  was  chiefly  remarkable 
in  the  footprints  of  birds  and  other  animals,  such  as  deer. 
They  seemed  particularly  fond  of  representing  deer- 
horns,  sometimes  with  double  lines  at  an  angle.  That 
was  possibly  to  commemorate  hunting  expeditions.  A 
frequent  subject  of  decoration  was  a crude  representation 
of  the  female  organ;  and  one,  a magnified  resemblance, 
angularly  drawn,  of  an  Indian  male  organ  garbed  in  its 
typical  decoration. 

The  face  of  the  rock  was  absolutely  covered  with 
drawings,  many  being  mere  reproductions  of  the  same 
design.  Some  were  so  rudimentary  that  they  were  abso- 
lutely impossible  to  identify.  One  fact  was  certain,  that 
those  carvings  had  been  made  by  men  who  were  trackers 
by  nature  and  who  observed  chiefly  what  they  noticed  on 
the  ground,  instead  of  around  and  above  them.  Thus, 
there  were  no  representations  whatever  of  foliage  or  trees, 

298 


# 


GEOMETRICAL  DESIGNS 


no  attempts  at  reproducing  birds,  or  the  sun,  the  moon, 
the  stars. 

The  most  interesting  of  all,  from  an  ethnological  point 
of  view,  were  the  geometrical  designs.  They  closely  re- 
sembled the  incised  lines  and  punch-marks  of  the  Austra- 
lian aborigines,  and  the  patterns  common  in  Polynesia. 
Concentric  circles,  of  more  or  less  perfection,  were  common, 
some  with  a central  cross  of  three  and  four  parallel  lines. 
Coils  seemed  beyond  the  drawing  powers  of  Indian  artists. 
Ovals,  triangles,  squares,  the  Egyptian  cross  (T-shaped), 
series  of  detached  circles  (these  generally  enclosed  within 
a triangle,  quadrangle,  or  lozenge)  were  frequent.  Even 
more  frequent  were  the  parallel,  incised  lines,  generally 
used  as  subsidiary  filling  or  shading  of  other  patterns,  such 
as  concentric  circles,  or  sections  of  triangles  or  squares. 

It  may  be  noted  that  a certain  intelligence  was  dis- 
played by  the  artist  in  dividing  circles  fairly  accurately 
into  four  and  eight  sections,  the  diameters  intersecting 
pretty  well  in  the  centre  of  the  circles.  One  pattern  which 
seemed  to  take  their  fancy  was  that  of  an  oval  or  a circle 
with  a number  of  dots  inside. 

In  examining  the  cave  closely,  inside  and  outside,  I 
also  found  upon  the  wall,  which  was  simply  covered  with 
those  images,  some  curious  marks  resembling  the  letters 
H P,  A P,  and  W A,  which  seemed  of  a more  recent 
date,  perhaps  left  there  by  some  missionary  Father  or 
native  explorer,  or  by  some  escaped  slave. 

Just  below  the  point  where  the  stream  Capim  Branco 
entered  the  S.  Louren^  River  (elevation  1,800  feet  above 
the  sea  level),  there  was  a most  beautiful  waterfall  — the 
Salto  Floriano  Peixoto.  Two  minor  falls,  some  thirty 
feet  high  (Salto  Benjamin),  were  also  to  be  seen  under 
arches  of  luxuriant  vegetation,  just  above  the  point  of 
junction  of  the  two  streams. 

The  roaring  and  foaming  volume  of  water  of  the 
greater  fall  rolled  over  a vertical  volcanic  rock,  about 

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ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


sixty  feet  high  and  sixty  feet  wide,  with  a small  terrace 
half  way  up  its  face.  The  bed  of  the  river  below  the  fall 
was,  like  all  the  torrents  of  that  region,  of  strangely  shaped 
lava  blocks.  With  the  dense  foliage,  the  innumerable 
caite,  a medicinal  plant  with  huge  leaves,  the  festooned 
liane  and  creepers  — - all  most  verdant  in  the  sombre  green 
light  filtering  through  the  foliage  and  the  moisture  of  the 
abundant  spray  from  the  fall  — it  was  indeed  a mag- 
nificent sight.  In  order  to  see  it,  however,  one  had  to 
suffer  a great  deal,  because  in  forcing  one’s  way  through 
the  dense  vegetation  one  got  literally  covered  with 
carrapatos  and  carrapatinhos. 

Above  the  falls,  for  some  hundreds  of  yards,  there 
were  terrific  rapids  in  the  river,  which  flowed  over  a steep 
bed  of  yellow  lava  in  terraces,  over  steps,  and  over  a fourth 
minor  fall  some  distance  off. 

DISTANCES  FROM  THE  ARAGUAYA  TO  CAPIM  BRANCO 


Kil.  Metres. 

Araguaya  to  Ponte  Alto 26  400 

Ponte  Alto  to  Fogaca 19  800 

Fogaca  to  Prata 20 

Prata  to  Ponte  Queimada 23  700 

Ponte  Queimada  to  Bella  Vista 19  800 

Bella  Vista  to  Agua  Quente 26  500 

Agua  Quente  to  Barreiros 10 

Barreiros  to  Agua  Emeindada 16  500 

Agua  Emeindada  to  Tachos 29  700 

Tachos  to  Bugueirao 20 

Bugueirao  to  Paredaozinho 20 

Paredaozinho  to  Paredao  Grande 20 

Paredao  Grande  to  Cabeca  de  Boi 33  100 

Cabeca  de  Boi  to  Sangrador 33  100 

Sangrador  to  Sangradorzinho 20 

Sangradorzinho  to  Varzen  Grande 20 

Varzen  Grande  to  Lagoa  Secca 23 

Lagoa  Secea  to  Caxoerinha 26  500 

Caxoerinha  to  Ponte  de  Pedra 10 

Ponte  de  Pedra  to  LagOa  Formosa 20 

Lagoa  Formosa  to  Xico  Nunes 20 

Xico  Nunes  to  Sapaturo 16  500 

Sapaturo  to  Presidente 17 

Presidente  to  Capim  Branco 14  850 

Total 509  450 


300 


CHAPTER  XXII 


In  Search  of  the  Highest  Point  of  the  Brazilian  Plateau  — Mutiny 
— Great  Domes  — Travelling  by  Compass  — A Gigantic  Fissure 
in  the  Earth’s  Crust 

I MADE  up  my  mind  that  I would  continue  my 
journey  westward  no  farther,  and  would  now  proceed 
due  north  in  order  to  explore  the  most  important  part 
of  the  Central  Plateau,  the  very  heart  of  Brazil,  precisely 
where  the  great  rivers  Xingu  and  Tapajoz  had  their 
birth.  I believed  that  we  should  there  find  the  highest 
point  of  the  Central  Brazilian  Plateau.  I expected  to 
find  in  that  region  the  most  interesting  portion  of  my 
journey  from  the  geographical,  anthropological,  and 
geological  points  of  view.  I was  greatly  disappointed 
from  the  anthropological  aspect,  since  I met  no  one  at 
all;  but  from  the  geological  and  geographical  I was  cer- 
tainly well  repaid  for  my  trouble,  great  as  the  trouble  was. 
We  had  already  ridden  to  a distance  of  1,400  kilometres 
from  the  nearest  railway. 

My  men  mutinied  on  hearing  of  my  plan,  which  I 
had  kept  concealed  from  them.  They  acted  in  a most 
abject  manner.  They  tried  to  compel  me  to  return  the 
way  we  had  come  instead  of  going  forward.  As  I flatly 
refused,  they  claimed  their  pay  and  wished  to  leave  me 
there  and  then.  Without  an  instant’s  hesitation  they  were 
handed  their  pay  up  to  date  and  told  they  could  go.  The 
men  had  not  quite  realized  that  they  would  have  to  walk 
back  some  858  kilometres  to  Goyaz,  without  food  and 
without  animals.  Alcides  and  Eilippe  the  negro  had  re- 

301 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


mained  faithful,  and  on  that  occasion  stood  by  my  side. 
Unfortunately,  Alcides,  who  had  a most  violent  temper, 
quarrelled  with  Filippe  over  some  paltry  matter  and  drove 
him  over  to  the  inimical  camp. 

So  there  I was  — with  only  one  man  left.  I am  not 
much  given  to  losing  heart  over  anything.  Alcides 
showed  a strong  heart  on  that  occasion.  He  and  I pro- 
ceeded for  three  days  to  rearrange  the  baggage  and  mend 
the  saddles,  etc.,  in  order  that  we  two  alone  might  take 
along  the  entire  caravan  of  animals.  I did  not  at  all  look 
forward  to  the  extra  work  of  packing  all  the  animals  twice 
a day,  and  twice  a day  unpacking  them.  The  loads 
weighed  about  fifty  pounds  each,  and  there  were  some 
thirty  of  them.  Then  we  should  have  to  hunt  for  the 
animals  in  the  morning  — a job  which  meant  that  one  had 
to  ride  sometimes  for  miles  to  track  them  and  bring  them 
all  back  to  camp-  This  prospect,  on  top  of  the  work  I 
had  already  in  hand  of  writing,  taking  astronomical 
and  meteorological  observations,  photography,  developing 
negatives,  drawing,  collecting,  and  classifying  botanical 
and  geological  specimens,  which  occupied  all  day  and  the 
greater  part  of  the  night,  was  a little  too  much  for  me. 
But  such  was  my  joy  at  having  got  rid  of  my  unpleasant 
companions  that  I would  have  put  up  with  any  additional 
discomfort  and  inconvenience  in  order  to  get  on.  Alcides 
behaved  splendidly  on  that  occasion. 

June  eighth  and  ninth  were  absolutely  wasted.  The 
relief  from  the  mental  strain  of  constantly  looking  after  — 
and  being  on  my  guard  against  — my  companions  was 
great.  They  were  days  of  great  happiness  to  me. 

On  June  tenth  Alcides  and  I were  making  ready  to 
depart,  with  all  the  animals  and  baggage,  when  the  four 
mutinous  followers  and  Filippe  the  negro,  most  penitent, 
begged  to  be  re-employed.  Under  ordinary  circumstances 
I should  certainly  never  have  taken  them  back;  but  when 
one  was  hundreds  of  miles  from  everywhere,  and  had  no 

302 


CAPIM  BRANCO  RIVER 


possible  way  of  finding  a man,  one  had  to  be  patient  and 
make  the  best  of  what  one  could  get.  I gave  them 
another  chance,  principally  in  order  to  save  what  I could 
of  my  baggage,  most  of  which  I was  certain  I should  have 
had  to  abandon  had  I proceeded  alone  with  Alcides. 

The  Capim  Branco  River  was  situated  between  two 
undulating  ridges  of  lava. 

I steered  a course  of  300°  bearings  magnetic  (north- 
west), beginning  a steep  climb  at  once  through  the  thin 
forest  of  the  plateau  to  the  north.  In  many  places  the 
mules  slid  and  rolled  down  the  precipitous  slope  of  igneous 
rock  and  marble  debris,  scattering  the  packs  in  every 
direction.  It  was  a wonder  they  were  not  killed.  We 
urged  the  animals  on,  we  pushed  and  pulled  them,  we 
held  them  with  all  our  might  by  the  bridles  when  they 
began  to  slide.  After  many  narrow  escapes  we  reached 
the  summit  — an  immense,  flat  stretch  of  campos  with 
stunted  trees  and  delicious,  crisp  air  — quite  delightful 
after  the  stifling  atmosphere  of  the  Capim  Branco  basin. 
The  elevation  above  the  sea  level  was  2,300  feet.  On  the 
summit  of  the  plateau  was  a deep  stratum  of  red  soil. 
Having  marched  across  the  entire  width  of  the  plateau, 
we  found,  on  descending  on  the  opposite  side,  another 
series  of  dome-like  mounds  of  crimson,  volcanic  rock,  with 
hardly  any  vegetation  on  them,  joined  together  and  form- 
ing many  headlands,  as  it  were.  Beyond  an  empty  space, 
an  opening  in  the  landscape,  a great  barrier  crossed  the 
range  of  domes  almost  at  right  angles. 

We  descended  through  thick  undergrowth,  under  big 
jatoba  do  matto  ( Hymencoea  Courbaril  L.)  trees.  The 
jatoba  or  jatahy  wood  has  a high  specific  gravity,  and  is 
considered  one  of  the  woods  with  the  highest  resistance 
to  disintegration  in  Brazil  — as  high  as  1 kilogram  315 
grams  per  square  centimetre. 

At  2,050  feet  we  found  a streamlet  flowing  southward. 
We  were  then  in  a grassy  basin  — another  cuvette  with 

* 303 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


two  central  tufts  of  thickly  packed  trees.  We  were  lucky 
enough  to  see  some  coco  babento  palms,  from  which  we 
shook  down  dates  which  were  excellent,  although  some- 
what troublesome  to  eat,  owing  to  the  innumerable  fila- 
ments protecting  the  central  large  stone.  These  filaments 
stuck  between  one’s  teeth,  and  were  most  difficult  to  re- 
move. The  dates  were  the  size  and  shape  of  an  ordinary 
English  walnut  and  extremely  oily. 

It  was  a real  joy  to  see  fine,  healthy  trees  again,  after 
the  miserable  specimens  we  had  seen  of  late.  Even  there, 
too,  the  powerful  trees  which  emerged  from  the  lower, 
entangled  scrub  and  dense  foliage  were  greatly  contorted, 
as  if  they  had  gone  through  a terrific  effort  in  order  to 
push  their  way  through  to  reach  the  light  and  air.  Liane 
innumerable  and  of  all  sizes  hung  straight  or  festooned 
from  the  highest  trees  or  coiled  in  a deadly  embrace  round 
their  branches  like  snakes.  Nor  were  they  the  only 
enemies  of  trees.  Large  swellings  could  be  noticed  around 
most  of  the  trees,  caused  by  the  terrible  cupim  ( termes 
album ) or  white  ants,  carrying  out  their  destructive  work 
just  under  the  bark.  Many  indeed  were  the  trees 
absolutely  killed  by  those  industrious  little  devils. 

As  we  marched  through  the  matto,  using  the  large 
knives  freely  to  open  our  way,  we  had  to  make  great 
deviations  in  our  course,  now  because  of  a giant  jatoba 
lying  dead  upon  the  ground,  then  to  give  a wide  berth  to 
a group  of  graceful  akuri  palms,  with  their  huge  spiky 
leaves.  Those  palms  had  great  bunches  of  fruit.  We 
were  beginning  now  to  find  trees  with  fanlike  extensions 
at  the  roots  and  base,  such  as  I had  frequently  met  with 
in  the  forests  of  Mindanao  Island  (Philippine  Archi- 
pelago), where  they  were  called  caripapa  and  nonoko 
trees.  The  vines  or  liane  were  getting  interesting,  some 
being  of  great  length  and  of  colossal  size,  twisted  round 
like  a ship’s  cable. 

We  rose  again  to  an  elevation  of  2,600  feet.  On 

304 


THE  RIVER  OF  DEATH 


emerging  from  the  cool,  dark  forest  and  its  refreshing, 
green  light,  we  found  ourselves  on  another  plateau  with 
a slightly  arched  summit  of  beautiful  campos.  From  that 
height  we  looked  over  the  immense,  undulating  plain  to 
the  south.  To  the  southeast  we  gazed  upon  a lower,  flat- 
topped  plateau  bounding  the  valley  which,  in  great, 
sweeping  undulations  from  southeast  to  northwest,  re- 
sembled an  ocean  with  waves  of  colossal  magnitude.  We 
travelled  across  the  slightly  domed,  grassy  plateau,  and 
found  on  it  a cuvette  — only  slightly  depressed  this  time, 
but  with  the  usual  central  line  of  tall  trees  with  luxuriant 
foliage,  burity  palms  and  pintahyba  trees.  There,  too, 
we  had  a surface  stratum  of  red  earth  and  fine,  brown 
dust,  with  an  under  stratum  of  grey  ashes.  Soon  after 
we  came  to  a second  cuvette,  and  farther  north  a third 
could  be  perceived.  In  fact,  the  summit  of  that  particular 
tableland  was  made  up  of  subsidiary  domes  dividing 
cuvette  from  cuvette  in  succession. 

In  going  down  to  2,550  feet  we  found  a streamlet 
flowing  northwest  into  the  Rio  das  Mortes  — or  “ River 
of  Death.”  We  were  then  on  the  great  divide  between 
the  waters  flowing  south  into  the  S.  Louren^o  and  even- 
tually into  the  Parana,  and  those  flowing  north,  after 
thousands  of  kilometres,  into  the  Amazon.  This  little 
rivulet  was  therefore  interesting  to  me,  for  it  was  the  first 
one  I had  met  flowing  north  since  leaving  the  Araguaya, 
although  not  the  first  whose  waters  eventually  flowed  in 
a circuitous  way  into  the  Amazon. 

That  was  a day  of  great  domes  — all  of  them  with 
perfect  curves.  On  them  the  grazing  was  magnificent. 
To  the  north  a wonderful,  green  dome,  larger  than  the 
others  (elevation  2,650  feet),  would  have  been  splendid 
for  cattle  raising.  Not  a sign  of  life  could  be  seen  any- 
where. Seldom  have  I seen  nature  so  still  and  devoid  of 
animal  life.  What  immensity  of  rich  land  wasted!  It 
made  one’s  heart  bleed  to  see  it.  There  was  everything 

vol.  i.  — 20  305 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


there  to  make  the  fortunes  of  a hundred  thousand  farmers 
— yet  there  was  not  a soul ! There  was  good  grazing, 
plenty  of  water.  There  were  no  roads,  no  trails,  it  is  true, 
but  with  a little  enterprise  it  would  be  easy  to  make  them. 
With  a railway  passing  through,  that  now  wasted  land 
should  become  the  richest  on  earth. 

In  a depression  (elevation  2,450  feet)  we  came  to  a 
streamlet  also  flowing  north,  which  had  made  the  soil 
extremely  swampy.  We  had  endless  trouble  in  getting 
across,  the  animals  sinking  and  sticking  in  the  black  mud 
up  to  their  necks.  One  of  the  mules,  more  reckless  than 
the  others,  actually  disappeared,  baggage  and  all,  while 
madly  struggling  to  extricate  itself  from  the  sucking 
slush  and  mud.  It  took  all  our  efforts  combined  to  save 
that  animal.  By  the  time  we  had  all  got  across,  men, 
animals,  and  baggage  were  a sight  worth  looking  at  — all 
filthy,  absolutely  smothered  in  black  mud. 

We  rose  upon  yet  another  dome  and  then  descended 
to  the  Rio  Manso  or  Rio  das  Mortes,  the  head-waters  of 
which  were  not  far  from  there,  to  the  southwest,  in  the 
Serra  da  Chapada.  The  river  was  there  only  fifteen  metres 
wide,  but  too  deep  and  rapid  for  the  animals  to  ford,  so 
we  had  to  follow  its  bank  in  order  to  find  a suitable  spot. 
The  River  das  Mortes  flowed,  roughly,  first  in  an  easterly 
then  in  a northeasterly  direction,  and  soon,  swollen  by 
innumerable  streams,  became  the  most  powerful  tributary 
of  the  Araguaya  River,  which  it  met  almost  opposite  the 
centre  of  the  great  island  of  Bananal.  In  fact,  one  might 
almost  consider  the  head-waters  of  the  Rio  das  Mortes  as 
the  secondary  sources  of  the  great  Araguaya.  The  Rio 
das  Mortes  flowed,  at  the  particular  spot  where  we  met 
it,  due  north,  along  the  edge  of  the  great  dome.  The 
elevation  of  the  top  edge  was  2,470  feet. 

We  camped  that  night  on  the  Riberao  do  Boi,  a swift 
torrent  tributary  of  the  Rio  das  Mortes  (elevation  2,250 
feet),  having  marched  thirty  kilometres  that  day.  The 

306 


MARCHING  TO  SURE  PERDITION 


cold  was  relatively  severe  during  the  night,  the  ther- 
mometer registering  a minimum  of  48°  Fahrenheit. 

We  were  travelling  entirely  by  prismatic  compass. 
My  men,  who  had  no  faith  whatever  in  what  they  called 
the  agiillia  (compass),  swore  that  we  were  going  to  sure 
perdition. 

“ How  can  that  agullia,”  said  they,  “ possibly  tell  you 
where  we  can  find  beans  ( feijao ),  lard  ( toucinho ),  and 
sugar  bricks  ( rapadura ) ? ” “ It  is  the  invention  of  some 
madman!”  said  one.  “It  will  bring  us  to  our  death,” 
sadly  reflected  another.  “If  I had  only  known  that  we 
should  be  entrusting  our  lives  all  the  time  to  that  agullia  ” 
murmured  a third,  pointing  contemptuously  to  the  com- 
pass, “ I should  have  never  come.  Oh,  my  poor  mother 
and  wife!  And  my  dear  little  daughter  six  months  old! 
Oh,  shall  I ever  see  them  again ! . . . shall  I ever  see  them 
again?”  Here  followed  a stream  of  bitter  tears,  wiped 
with  the  ragged  sleeve  of  his  shirt. 

I thought  that  a cold  bath  would  do  them  all  good. 
I ordered  them  to  take  all  the  animals  and  baggage  across 
the  stream.  It  was  a job  of  some  difficulty,  owing  to 
the  very  swift  current.  A rough  bridge  had  to  be  con- 
structed over  the  most  dangerous  part.  The  water  was 
freezingly  cold. 

On  leaving  the  river  we  at  once  rose  again  over  an- 
other great  dome  (elevation  2,350  feet),  from  which  we 
obtained  a most  glorious  view  of  other  grassy  domes, 
smooth-looking  and  well-rounded,  with  a fringe  of  forest 
in  the  depressions  between.  Down  below  we  covdd  see  the 
Rio  das  Mortes  we  had  left  behind.  It  came  at  that  spot 
from  the  southeast,  and  after  describing  an  angle,  turned 
to  the  northeast.  From  the  northwest,  at  an  elevation  of 
2,300  feet,  descended  the  Taperinho,  a small  tributary 
which  entered  the  Rio  das  Mortes. 

We  went  over  another  domed  mount,  where  I found 
a spring  of  most  delicious  water  emerging  in  a gurgle 

307 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


from  the  very  summit  of  the  dome,  at  an  elevation  of  2,400 
feet.  On  all  sides  we  had  beautiful,  domed  prominences 
with  wonderful  grazing  land. 

Alcides  — careless,  like  all  the  others,  with  his  rifle  — 
was  nearly  killed  that  day.  His  rifle  went  off  accidentally, 
and  the  bullet  went  right  through  the  brim  of  his  hat, 
just  grazing  his  forehead.  But  we  were  accustomed  to 
this  sort  of  thing  — it  had  happened  so  often  — that  I 
began  to  wonder  when  bullets  would  really  wound  or  kill 
somebody.  Indeed,  we  had  a guardian  angel  over  us. 

We  had  descended  into  the  belt  of  forest  in  the 
depression  (elevation  2,270  feet),  where  a streamlet 
flowed  to  the  northeast  into  the  Rio  das  Mortes.  We  were 
travelling  in  a northeasterly  direction,  owing  to  the  forma- 
tion of  the  country;  but  finding  that  it  would  take  me 
too  much  away  from  my  intended  course,  I again  altered 
our  direction  to  a course  due  north.  At  an  elevation  of 
2,480  feet  we  went  over  an  extraordinary  natural  bridge 
of  solidified  ashes  and  earth,  a regular  tunnel,  under  which 
passed  a streamlet  of  delicious  water  — the  Pulado 
stream.  The  river  emerged  some  distance  off  from  under 
the  tunnel.  Curiously  enough,  while  the  vegetation  was 
quite  dense  both  above  and  below  the  natural  bridge,  there 
was  no  vegetation  at  all  along  the  hundred  metres  forming 
the  width  of  the  bridge.  Perhaps  that  was  due  to  the  lack 
of  evaporation  in  that  section,  which  supplied  the  trees 
elsewhere  with  moisture. 

We  rode  over  many  domes  of  an  elevation  of  2,550 
feet,  and  then  over  some  that  were  smaller  in  diameter 
but  of  greater  height.  In  the  depressions  between  we 
invariably  found  rows  of  burity  palms  amidst  other 
vegetation,  and  the  characteristic,  heavily  foliaged  trees. 

We  encamped  near  a delicious  spring  of  water  on  the 
very  summit  of  a dome.  The  water  emerged  from  a 
circular  hole  and  was  warm  — so  much  so  that  the  next 
morning,  when  my  Fahrenheit  thermometer  registered  an 

308 


A THERMAL  SPRING 


atmospheric  temperature  of  50°,  steam  rose  from  the 
water  of  the  spring.  Around  the  spring  a curious  conical 
mound  of  finely  powdered,  white  matter  resembling  kaolin 
had  formed.  This  appeared  to  me  to  have  formerly  been 
a small  geyser.  The  cone  was  broken  on  one  side,  and  the 
water  did  not  come  out  with  great  force.  A few  yards 
down  the  slope  of  the  dome  another  similar  white  cone  was 
to  be  seen,  with  a great  mass  of  granular  ash-pellets  and 
tufa,  such  as  are  commonly  found  near  geysers  or  thermal 
springs.  We  called  that  camp  Cayambola. 

On  the  night  of  June  twelfth  the  minimum  temperature 
was  50°  Fahrenheit,  the  elevation  2,430  feet.  The  sky 
was  somewhat  clouded,  the  clouds  occupying  four  tenths 
of  the  heavens.  At  sunrise  we  observed  radiations  in  the 
sky,  this  time,  curiously  enough,  from  northeast  to  south- 
west, instead  of  from  east  to  west.  The  longest  and 
highest  semicircle  above  us  was  in  double  filaments,  and 
resembled  an  immense  fish-hone. 

We  were  supposed  to  be  then  in  a country  infested  by 
cannibal  Indians  — swarms  of  them.  My  men  were  quite 
amusing  in  their  fears.  Four  of  them  were  troublesome 
and  insisted  on  the  whole  expedition  turning  back  in 
order  to  see  them  safely  out  of  danger.  I remembered  on 
those  occasions  an  old  Italian  proverb  which  said  that  to 
“ women,  lunatics,  and  children  ” the  wisest  thing  is 
always  to  say  “Yes.” 

So  when  they  threatened  all  kinds  of  things  if  we  did 
not  return  I generally  answered  that  we  would  continue 
a little  farther,  then  we  would  see;  and  from  day  to  day 
this  went  on,  making  forced  marches  forward  all  the  time 
— generally  of  from  thirty  to  forty-two  kilometres  daily. 
The  dissatisfaction  among  my  men  grew,  nevertheless, 
considerable,  and  a constant  watch  had  to  be  kept  over 
them.  Alcides  and  Filippe  the  negro  showed  great  cour- 
age, and,  whatever  other  failings  they  may  have  had,  they 
invariably  displayed  extraordinary  bravery. 

309 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


Alcides’  principal  faults  were  his  great  wastefulness 
and  violent  temper  and  pride,  which  made  it  most  difficult 
to  deal  with  him.  He  had  been  entrusted  with  the 
commissariat,  as  with  all  my  other  occupations  I could 
not  be  bothered  to  sort  out  and  weigh  the  food  for  each 
man  at  each  meal.  Alcides  would  not  understand  that  it 
was  unwise,  in  a country  where  absolutely  nothing  was 
procurable,  to  throw  away  daily  little  mountains  of  rice 
and  beans  and  preserved  meat,  after  the  men  and  our  dogs 
had  gorged  themselves;  and  that  perhaps  it  would  lead 
some  day  to  our  dying  of  starvation.  In  confidence  I had 
told  him  that  we  might  be  several  months,  perhaps  a year, 
before  we  should  be  able  to  get  fresh  supplies.  A little 
economy  would  perhaps  save  us  all  from  disaster.  I 
wanted  everybody  to  have  ample  food,  but  I did  not  see 
the  use  of  throwing  away  daily  a larger  quantity  than 
the  men  actually  ate.  It  was  true  that  we  still  had  ample 
provisions  of  all  kinds  for  some  eight  months,  but  we  must 
be  prepared  for  all  emergencies. 

Alcides,  who  was  extremely  obstinate,  would  not  hear 
of  this.  My  remarks  only  made  things  worse.  The  waste 
from  that  day  doubled,  and  looking  ahead  into  the  future, 
it  really  broke  my  heart,  as  I well  saw  that  we  should  have 
hard  times  in  front  of  us,  all  because  of  the  lack  of 
common-sense  on  the  part  of  my  followers. 

On  leaving  camp  we  climbed  to  the  summit  of  another 
gigantic  dome  of  green  pasture  land  (elevation  2,500 
feet).  We  filled  our  lungs  with  the  delicious  air,  slightly 
stirred  by  a fresh,  northerly  breeze.  Geographically,  we 
were  at  a most  important  site,  for  it  was  from  that  point 
that  the  division  of  waters  took  place  between  those 
flowing  eastward  into  the  Araguaya  and  those  flowing 
westward  into  the  Cuyaba  River.  So  that  within  a dis- 
tance of  a few  kilometres  we  had  visited  the  region  — the 
very  heart  of  Brazil  — from  which  the  waters  parted  to 
flow  toward  three  different  points  of  the  compass. 

310 


AN  ENORMOUS  PLATEAU 


From  that  point  we  rose  still  higher  to  the  summit  of 
a great  tableland,  absolutely  flat  and  waterless  for  over 
thirty  kilometres.  The  soil  was  red  in  colour,  with  slippery 
dried  grass  upon  it  and  sparse,  stunted  vegetation.  The 
trees  seldom  reached  a height  of  five  feet.  They  were 
mostly  gomarabia  or  goma  arabica  — a sickly  looking 
acacia;  passanto,  with  its  huge  leaves,  piqui  or  pequia 
( Aspidosperma  sessiliflorum  and  eburneum  Fr.  All.),  the 
fibrous  piteira  or  poteira  ( Fourcroya  gigantea  Vent.), 
and  short  tocum  or  tucum  palms  ( Astrocaryum  tacuma 
M.).  Occasionally  one  saw  a passanto  tree  slightly 
taller,  perhaps  some  ten  to  twelve  feet  high,  most  aneemic 
looking. 

After  having  travelled  some  twenty-four  kilometres 
from  our  last  camp  we  came  to  a great  expanse  of  taquary, 
a kind  of  shrub  three  feet  high  with  spiky  leaves  of  a 
wonderful  green  colour. 

We  gazed  upon  the  superb  view  of  an  enormous 
plateau  to  the  west  with  deep  indentations  in  its  vertical 
sides.  Huge  spurs  or  rams  of  rock  stretched  out  across 
the  deep  depression,  separating  the  plateau  to  the  west 
from  the  one  on  which  we  were  standing.  Both  plateaux 
were  of  equal  height,  and  had  evidently  at  one  time  formed 
one  immense,  flat  surface.  On  our  side  the  plateau 
showed  a huge  slip  of  red,  volcanic  earth,  with  a lower 
stratum  parallel  to  it  of  baked,  brown  rock.  Under  it 
were  white  lime  and  ashes,  in  sections  or  drifts.  In  the 
centre  of  the  valley  formed  by  the  separation  of  the  two 
sections  there  remained  a formidable  crater  — extinct,  of 
course  — with  an  arc-shaped  wall  standing  erect  in  its 
centre,  and  other  lower  walls  forming  an  elongated,  quad- 
rangular channel  from  southeast  to  northwest  in  the 
bottom  of  the  crater.  Two  conspicuous  monoliths  stood 
behind  the  huge  lip  of  the  crater  to  the  southwest  at  the 
bottom  of  the  valley,  and  also  other  remnants  of  the  great 
convulsion  of  nature  which  had  once  taken  place  there. 

311 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


Notwithstanding  the  constant  annoyance  of  my  fol- 
lowers, I really  enjoyed  my  journey  over  the  central 
plateau.  The  air  was  fresh  and  deliciously  crisp  and  clear. 
One  could  see  for  miles  and  miles  and  distinguish  the 
smallest  detail  in  the  far-away  mountain-sides,  so  pure 
was  the  atmosphere.  This  scene  was  unlike  any  in  other 
countries.  One  could  describe  an  entire  circle  around 
oneself,  and  nowhere  did  the  eye  meet  a column  of  smoke 
rising  above  ground  to  indicate  the  presence  of  man.  Not 
a bird  was  to  be  seen  or  heard,  not  a footprint  upon  the 
ground  of  any  beast  or  creature  of  any  kind.  The  silence 
of  that  land  was  most  impressive.  Our  voices,  as  we  spoke, 
sounded  astonishingly  and  abnormally  sonorous,  in  that 
region  which  for  thousands  of  years  had  not  been  con- 
taminated by  sound.  It  seemed  as  if  the  sound-waves, 
undisturbed  by  the  myriads  of  sounds  which,  as  is  well 
known,  remain  floating  in  the  atmosphere  in  inhabited 
countries,  were  heard  there  in  all  their  full  and  absolute 
purity.  So  much  were  we  all  impressed  by  this  fact  — 
my  men  unconsciously  — that  all  the  men  began  to  sing, 
so  pleased  they  seemed  with  the  powerful  vibration  of 
their  own  voices. 

To  the  northwest  another  lovely  sight  was  before  us: 
another  huge  plateau  in  dim  greyish  blue  barred  the 
horizon.  In  front  of  it  was  one  more  tableland,  more 
broken  up,  and  sloping  on  the  south  side. 

When  we  reached  the  northeast  edge  of  the  plateau 
we  were  travelling  upon,  we  were  treated  to  a marvellous 
scene.  Straight  in  front  of  us,  on  the  opposite  side  of  a 
deep  depression,  at  30°  bearings  magnetic,  there  stood  one 
of  the  characteristic,  two-tiered  tablelands  stretching  from 
east  to  west.  Below  us  in  the  depression  was  an  undu- 
lating line  from  north  to  south  of  great  bosses  or  domes 
of  exquisite,  grassy  land,  resting  upon  a kind  of  spur  or 
peninsula  jutting  out  from  our  plateau,  but  at  a lower 
elevation,  of  which  it  formed  part. 

312 


CHAIN  OF  DOMES 

A formidable  crack  in  the  earth’s  surface  extended 
from  north  to  south  on  the  east  of  the  chain  of  domes, 
whereas  to  the  east  of  the  giant  crack  was  another  row  of 
domed  hills,  forming,  when  taken  as  a mass,  an  undulating 
terrace ; then  a vertical  wall,  above  which  rested  the 
sloping  side  of  the  plateau  on  which  we  stood.  It  may  be 
observed  that  the  strata  in  the  split,  vertical  wall  on  our 
side  was  absolutely  horizontal.  On  the  summit  of  this 
rocky  stratum  lay  a deposit,  thirty  feet  thick,  composed  of 
red  earth  and  sand  over  yellow  sandstone  and  ashes,  and, 
lower,  grey  ashes  compressed  and  consolidated.  The 
lowest  stratum  visible  on  the  face  of  the  wall  was  of  bright, 
red-baked  rock. 

The  great  depression,  taken  in  its  entirety,  extended 
from  southeast  to  northwest.  The  huge  crater  was  to 
the  southeast.  To  the  southwest  there  was  an  immense 
basin. 


313 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

The  Jangada  River — Demented  Descendants  of  Slaves — Appalling 
Degeneration  — Giant  Monoliths  — The  River  Roncador  — 
GiganticJMatural  Gateways  — The  Discovery  of  Fossils 

WE  had  reached  the  end  of  the  comparatively  flat 
plateau,  which  varied  in  elevation  on  its  summit 
from  2,530  feet  to  2,570  feet  above  the  sea  level. 
We  were  next  faced  by  a precipitous  descent  in  order  to 
go  down  to  the  Jangada  River,  which  eventually  flowed 
into  the  distant  Rio  Cuyaba.  There  was,  of  course,  no 
trail  of  any  kind,  and  the  course  of  the  descent  before  us 
was  not  unlike  trying  to  take  our  animals  down  the  almost 
vertical  wall  of  a fortress.  With  picks  and  spades  we  cut 
a narrow  path  for  a short  distance  in  order  to  start  the 
reluctant  beasts  down.  I recommended  the  greatest  care 
to  my  men,  but  instead  of  following  my  instructions  they 
drove  the  rebellious  quadrupeds  with  their  whips  in  a 
heap  along  the  path,  only  a few  inches  wide,  which  we 
had  cut.  Result:  Collisions  among  the  animals  and 

against  the  wall,  and,  next,  five  mules  and  baggage  rolled 
down  the  mountain-side  at  a vertiginous  speed  until  they 
had  reached  the  bottom,  some  hundreds  of  feet  below. 
Antonio,  the  strong  man  of  the  party,  who  tried  to  go  to 
the  rescue  of  one  of  the  animals,  was  also  dragged  down, 
and  came  within  an  ace  of  losing  his  life.  He  was  able 
to  embrace  a shrub  with  all  his  might  just  before  rolling 
over  the  precipice,  and  we  rescued  him.  We  had  to  waste 
a great  deal  of  time  cutting  an  improvised  way  in  the 
mountain-side.  Then  we  had  to  unload  all  the  animals  and 

314 


A MELANCHOLY  SPECTACLE 


convey  the  loads  down  on  men’s  heads.  Each  animal  was 
then  with  great  difficulty  and  danger  led  by  hand  down 
to  the  stream. 

Great  quantities  of  beautiful  marble  and  crystals  were 
met  with,  and  masses  of  lava  pellets  and  ferruginous  rock. 
In  the  Jangada  valley  we  found  two  hot  springs  emerging 
from  the  side  of  the  plateau  from  which  we  had  descended. 
I discovered  there  two  miserable,  tiny  sheds  belonging  to 
a family  of  escaped  negro  slaves.  They  had  lived  seven- 
teen years  in  that  secluded  spot.  They  grew  enough 
Indian  corn  to  support  them.  All  the  members  of  the 
family  were  pitifully  deformed  and  demented.  Seldom 
have  I seen  such  miserable-looking  specimens  of  humanity. 
One  was  demented  to  such  an  extent  that  it  was  impossible 
to  get  out  of  him  more  than  a few  disconnected  groans. 
He  spent  most  of  his  time  crouched  like  an  animal,  and 
hardly  seemed  conscious  of  what  took  place  round  him. 
Another  was  a deaf  and  dumb  cretin;  a third  possessed  a 
monstrous  hare-lip  and  a deformed  jaw;  while  two 
women,  dried  up  and  skinny,  and  a child  were  badly 
affected  by  goitre.  For  a single  family  that  seemed  a 
melancholy  spectacle. 

It  was  really  pitiable,  everywhere  in  the  interior  of 
Brazil,  wherever  you  came  across  a family,  to  find  that 
all  its  members  were  cretins,  and  deformed  to  such  an 
extent  as  to  make  them  absolutely  repulsive.  Frequently 
I had  noticed  among  the  common  abnormalities  super- 
numerary fingers  and  toes.  One  child  at  this  place,  in 
fact,  had  six  toes  to  each  foot,  besides  being  an  idiot,  deaf 
and  dumb,  and  affected  by  goitre.  The  only  one  of  the 
family  who  was  able  to  realize  what  took  place  was  terri- 
fied at  our  approach,  and  never  got  over  his  terror  as  long 
as  we  remained.  He  suffered  from  the  illusion  that  every- 
body wished  to  murder  him.  For  some  reason  or  other  he 
believed  that  I had  come  specially  all  the  way  from  my 
own  country  in  order  to  search  for  him  and  kill  him.  All 

315 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


the  most  considerate  words  on  my  part,  the  showering  of 
presents,  had  no  effect  upon  him.  He  sat  some  way  off, 
watching  me  attentively  all  the  time,  and  whenever  I 
moved  my  hands  in  any  direction  he  dashed  away  shriek- 
ing, thinking  that  I should  attempt  to  strangle  him,  for 
his  mania  was  death  by  strangulation.  After  a while  he 
returned,  and  in  his  broken,  almost  unintelligible  language 
— his  tongue  was  nearly  paralyzed  and  he  had  difficulty 
in  articulating  properly  — begged  to  be  spared. 

Those  people  lived  worse  than  animals,  in  an  appall- 
ingly filthy  condition,  in  two  miserable,  tumble-down 
sheds,  open  on  all  sides,  and  not  more  than  eight  feet 
high.  They  were  reduced  to  that  condition  by  inter- 
marriage among  themselves ; brothers  with  sisters  — a 
most  frequent  occurrence  among  the  “ civilized  ” of 
Central  Brazil  — and  even  fathers  with  daughters  and 
sons  with  their  mothers : a disgusting  state  of  affairs  which 
could  not  very  well  be  helped  in  a race  and  in  a climate 
where  the  animal  qualities  were  extraordinarily  developed 
while  the  mental  were  almost  entirely  deficient.  Worse 
still,  I have  had  several  cases  under  observation  in  which 
the  animal  passions  had  not  been  limited  to  closely  related 
human  beings,  but  extended  also  to  animals,  principally 
dogs.  The  degeneration  of  those  people  was  indeed 
beyond  all  conception.  It  was  caused,  first  of  all,  by  the 
effects  of  the  most  terrible  corruption  of  their  blood,  their 
subsequent  impoverishment  of  blood  through  intermar- 
riage, the  miserable,  isolated  existence  which  they  led,  with 
scarce  and  bad  food,  the  exposure  to  all  kinds  of  weather, 
and  the  absolute  lack  of  thought,  almost  paralyzing  the 
brain  power.  It  was  heart-rending  to  think  that  human 
beings  could  possibly  degenerate  to  so  low  a level,  and, 
what  was  worse,  that  beings  of  that  kind  were  extraordi- 
narily prolific;  so  that,  instead  of  being  exterminated, 
which  would  be  a mercy  for  the  country,  they  were  in  a 
small  way  on  the  increase. 


316 


CANYON  OF  MATTO  GROSSO 


HOW  AUTHOR  S ANIMALS  ROLLED  DOWN  TRAILLESS  RAVINES 


MONOLITHIC  ROCKS 


I camped  near  the  sheds  of  that  “ happy  family,” 
having  gone  forty-two  kilometres  from  the  Rio  das  Mortes. 
I felt  sad  the  whole  night,  watching  them  unperceived.  It 
upset  me  so  that  I was  ill  for  several  days. 

The  Rio  Jangada,  at  an  altitude  of  1,550  feet,  was 
1,000  feet  lower  than  the  top  of  the  plateau.  The  river 
flowed  west  into  the  Cuyaba  River.  We  crossed  the 
stream,  a rapid  and  foaming  torrent.  We  soon  began  to 
climb  again  on  the  opposite  side  over  sweeping  undula- 
tions. We  waded  through  two  more  streamlets  flowing 
west,  the  second  at  an  elevation  of  1,650  feet.  We  were 
travelling  partly  among  campos  on  the  summit  of  cones 
and  domes,  partly  through  brush  or  scrub  in  the  de- 
pressions. We  struggled  on,  urging  the  tired  animals, 
rising  gradually  to  2,150  feet,  then  to  2,200  feet,  over  soil 
strewn  with  volcanic  pebbles  and  scoriae.  During  the 
night  the  minimum  temperature  had  been  53°  Fahren- 
heit, but  during  the  day  the  sun  was  extremely  hot  and 
powerful,  and  animals  and  men  were  sweating  freely. 
We  marched  northward,  then  slightly  to  the  northwest, 
leaving  behind,  to  the  southwest  of  us,  two  quadrangular 
tablelands,  rising  above  the  undulating  line  of  a depression. 

Shortly  after,  to  the  east-northeast,  we  perceived  the 
section  of  an  extinct  crater  — the  easterly  point  of  its 
summit  being  in  itself  a semicircular  subsidiary  crater. 
On  one  side  of  the  greater  crater  was  a conical  depression, 
at  the  bottom  of  which  (elevation  2,400  feet),  was  an 
extensive  bed  of  lava  blocks  of  great  size  — hundreds  of 
monolithic  rocks  standing  up  like  pillars.  In  fact,  they 
stood  all  along  the  side  of  the  crater  as  well  as  inside  it. 
Surrounding  a pyramidal  hill  a group  of  those  huge 
pillars  looked,  to  a casual  observer,  just  like  the  ruins  of 
a tumble-down  abbey. 

Three  hours’  journey  from  our  camp  we  reached  the 
summit  of  a dome  (elevation  2,500  feet).  Beyond  it  wras 
a cuvette  with  its  typical  central  line  of  burity  palms. 

317 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


To  the  west  we  perceived  a marvellous  view  of  three 
immense  dykes  of  red  rock,  like  walls,  stretching  from 
southwest  to  northeast;  then  two  more  great  perpendic- 
ular dykes  of  granite  were  disclosed  close  by. 

Going  over  domes  2,550  feet  and  2,450  feet  above  the 
sea  level,  we  obtained  a vast  and  immense  view  of  the 
serraddo  (wild  country)  before  us,  a regular  ocean  of 
deep  green  undulations  rising  quite  high  to  the  south; 
whereas  to  the  north  there  extended  a long  plateau,  with 
a deep  ravine  on  its  southern  aspect. 

We  descended  through  scrub  (elevation  2,400  feet)  — 
what  the  Brazilians  call  serraddo  — and  through  a growth 
of  stunted  trees  (elevation  2,450  feet)  to  so  low  an  altitude 
as  2,300  feet.  Going  along  a rocky  cliff,  we  passed  a 
strange,  volcanic  vent-hole  with  a pyramid  of  granite  of 
large  proportions  on  each  side  of  its  aperture. 

We  arrived  at  the  Roncador,  a picturesque  torrent 
flowing  over  a bed  of  lava  moulded  in  the  strangest  possi- 
ble shapes,  hollows,  terraces,  and  grottoes.  Most  peculiar 
were  the  great,  concave  hollows,  circular,  oval,  and  of 
irregular  form,  which  were  innumerable  and  of  all  sizes 
along  that  extensive  flow  of  lava. 

We  had  travelled  thirty  kilometres  that  day.  That 
was  such  a picturesque  spot  that  I made  camp  on  the 
right  bank  of  the  torrent.  We  were  all  amazed  to  find  an 
immense  block  of  rock  resembling  in  size  and  form  the 
Sphinx  of  Egypt  balanced  to  a nicety  over  the  edge  of 
a conical,  rocky  hill.  It  was,  of  course,  the  work  of 
nature.  Why  that  rock  remained  there  at  all  and  did  not 
tumble  down,  was  more  than  we  coidd  understand.  There 
was  also  a giant  monolith  and  other  strange-looking  rocks 
of  great  size  standing  up  at  all  angles,  close  by.  On 
climbing  the  hill  where  the  Sphinx-like  rock  stood,  I dis- 
covered a circidar  crater  of  great  beauty,  300  metres  in 
diameter.  The  western  wall  of  the  crater  had  been 
knocked  down,  but  on  the  eastern  inner  side,  in  the  central 

318 


A TERRACED  WATERFALL 


part,  150  feet  high,  there  was  a precipitous  fall,  then  a 
huge,  smooth,  inclined  plane  of  lava  at  an  angle  of  15° 
overlapping  the  top,  where  it  had  subsequently  been  sub- 
jected either  to  violent  earthquake  shocks  or  other  dis- 
turbing influences,  as  it  was  badly  seamed  and  fissured. 
Many  segments  had  crumbled  down,  leaving  the  remain- 
ing portion  of  a most  extraordinary  shape.  In  the  centre 
of  the  crater  there  stood  a huge  mass  of  rock  150  feet 
high,  which  looked  like  an  inclined  table  — a giant  slab 
cleanly  cut  at  its  angles,  which  protruded  at  great  length 
outside  the  base  formed  by  broken-up  blocks.  On  looking 
west  from  the  summit  of  the  extinct  volcano  one  obtained 
a marvellous  view  of  the  vertical  cliffs  between  which  the 
Roncador  River  flowed. 

Then  there  was  a great  tableland  extending  from 
north  to  south,  composed  of  red  volcanic  rock  and  white 
limestone.  A separate,  red,  quadrangular,  castle-like 
structure  of  immense  proportions  rose  in  the  middle 
foreground  in  the  northwest,  upon  a conical,  green,  grassy 
base. 

Add  to  this  wonderful  work  of  Nature  a magnificent 
sky  of  gold  and  brilliant  vermilion,  as  limpid  as  limpid 
could  be,  and  you  will  perhaps  imagine  why  I could  not 
move  from  the  rock  on  which  I sat  gazing  at  that  mag- 
nificent, almost  awe-inspiring,  spectacle.  Night  came  on 
swiftly,  as  it  always  does  in  those  latitudes,  and  I scram- 
bled down  the  hill,  among  the  sharp,  cutting,  slippery, 
shiny  rocks,  arriving  in  camp  minus  a good  many  patches 
of  skin  upon  my  shins  and  knuckles. 

At  the  point  where  I crossed  the  Roncador  River 
there  were  three  handsome  waterfalls  in  succession,  the 
central  one  in  two  terraces,  some  ninety  feet  high.  At  the 
foot  of  the  two-tiered  Avaterfall  was  a huge,  circular  basin, 
which  had  all  the  appearance  of  having  been  formerly  a vol- 
canic vent.  The  flowing  water,  which  tumbled  down  with 
terrific  force,  had  further  washed  its  periphery  smooth. 

319 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


The  centre  of  the  basin  was  of  immense  depth.  Directly 
under  the  fall  a spacious  grotto  was  to  be  seen  under  a 
huge  projecting  rock. 

The  elevation  of  the  stream  above  the  falls  was  2,150 
feet,  below  the  falls  2,060  feet.  The  temperature  of  the 
atmosphere  was  72°  Fahrenheit,  and  the  minimum  tem- 
perature during  the  night  58°  Fahrenheit. 

The  Roncador  flowed  from  northeast  to  southwest  as 
far  as  the  foot  of  the  great  plateau  we  had  observed  during 
our  march.  There,  on  meeting  the  great  vertical  wall,  its 
course  was  diverted  in  a northerly  direction  and  then  again 
to  the  northwest,  where  the  stream  eventually  fell  into  the 
Cuyaba  River.  The  Rio  Jangada,  on  which  we  had 
camped  the  previous  day,  was  a tributary  of  the  Roncador, 
and  so  was  the  streamlet  called  Pedra  Grande,  which 
entered  the  Roncador  on  its  right  side.  The  Pedra 
Grande  took  its  name  from  an  immense  monolith,  worn 
quite  smooth,  near  its  bank. 

From  the  Roncador  we  continued  on  our  northerly 
course.  The  western  view  of  the  “ balanced  Sphinx 
boulder  ” was  indeed  remarkable.  It  seemed  to  stand 
upon  a small  pivot,  despite  all  the  laws  of  gravitation,  the 
heaviest  side  of  the  upper  rock  projecting  far  out  on  one 
side  with  nothing  to  balance  it  on  the  other. 

Cutting  our  way  easily  in  the  scrub,  we  rose  to  2,300 
feet  over  a flow  of  red  lava  (it  had  flowed  in  an  easterly 
direction)  in  several  successive  strata.  The  upper  stratum 
was  grooved  into  geometrical  patterns,  such  as  we  had 
met  before,  wherever  it  showed  through  the  thin  layer  of 
red,  volcanic  sand  which  covered  most  of  it.  We  were 
there  in  a zone  of  immense,  natural  pillars  of  rock,  some 
of  such  great  height  that  they  were  visible  miles  off  along 
the  range,  which  extended  from  south  to  north,  parallel,  in 
fact,  to  the  course  we  were  following. 

Still  proceeding  due  north,  we  arrived  on  the  summit 
of  a great  dome,  2,500  feet,  from  which  point  we  had  to 

320 


SILENCE  OF  DEATH 


alter  our  course  to  the  northwest,  owing  to  an  isolated, 
impassable  barrier  which  we  left  on  our  right  (north). 
It  had  steep  slopes  but  well-rounded,  terminal  points.  It 
extended  from  north-northeast  to  south-southwest,  and 
had  a height  of  some  150  feet  above  the  flat  serradao,  on 
which  my  skeleton-like  mules  wended  their  way  among 
the  stunted  trees,  the  bells  dangling  from  their  necks 
monotonously  tinkling  — not  the  gay,  brisk  tinkling  of 
animals  full  of  life,  as  when  we  had  left  Goyaz,  but  the 
weak,  mournful  ding  . . . ding  . . . ding  of  tired,  worn- 
out  beasts,  stumbling  along  anyhow.  Occasionally  one 
heard  the  crashing  of  broken  branches  or  of  trees  col- 
lapsing at  the  collision  with  the  packs,  or  the  violent 
braying  of  the  animals  when  stung  in  sensitive  parts  by 
an  extra-violent  fly;  otherwise  there  was  silence,  the 
silence  of  death,  all  round  us. 

The  poor  brutes  tore  mouthfuls  of  grass,  now  on  one 
side,  then  on  the  other,  as  they  went  along;  but  the 
grazing  was  poor  in  the  serradao,  and  the  animals  found 
only  enough  to  subsist  upon.  Two  of  them  were  abso- 
lutely disabled,  owing  to  accidents  we  had  had;  and,  with 
the  animals  I had  lost,  this  involved  loading  extra  heavily 
those  still  able  to  carry.  The  constant  collisions  against 
the  stunted  trees  in  that  trailless  region  injured  the 
animals  considerably  and  caused  nasty  sores  and  swellings 
all  over  their  bodies.  I saw  well  that  the  poor  beasts  would 
not  last  much  longer.  It  was  impossible  to  halt  a sufficient 
time  to  let  them  recover  in  that  particular  region,  with 
food  so  scarce ; it  would  have  taken  them  months.  In  the 
meantime  our  provisions  were  being  fast  consumed,  or 
rather  wasted,  and  we  had  thousands  of  kilometres  to  go 
yet.  My  men  never  suspected  this,  or  they  never  would 
have  come  on ; but  I knew  only  too  well. 

They  still  insisted  on  marching  with  their  loaded 
rifles,  fully  cocked,  resting  horizontally  upon  their 
shoulders;  and  as  we  marched  naturally  in  single  file, 

vol.  i. — 21  321 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


and  as  we  used  cordite  cartridges  with  bullets  of  high 
penetration,  there  was  still  a prospect  of  a bullet  going 
through  one  or  more  of  us.  Once  or  twice  again  a rifle 
went  off  unexpectedly  by  accident.  It  would  have  been 
terrible  for  any  one  of  a nervous  temperament  to  be 
travelling  with  such  companions.  On  previous  expedi- 
tions I had  generally  trusted  in  myself,  but  on  this 
particular  one  I was  so  disgusted  that  I had  made  up  my 
mind  to  trust  in  Providence  alone.  I did  well,  for  had  I 
done  otherwise  I might  have  fared  much  worse  than  I did. 

We  went  over  a pass  (elevation  2,400  feet)  between 
two  small  domes,  quite  barren  but  for  a scanty  growth  of 
short,  dried  grass.  We  were  marching  over  masses  of  lava 
and  conglomerate  with  innumerable,  marble  pellets.  We 
found  ourselves  within  a regular  circle  of  low  hills, 
enclosing  a shallow  depression.  Subsequently  we  came 
to  a second  and  then  to  a third  similar  depression. 

Continuing  in  a northwesterly  direction,  we  again 
obtained  a gorgeous  view  of  the  treble  portal,  by  which 
word  the  Brazilians  describe  a monumental  entrance  of 
any  kind.  That  is  just  what  those  three  immense  gaps  in 
the  plateau  looked  like:  an  immense  wall  of  rock  forming 
a high  barrier,  with  three  gigantic,  natural  gateways. 

After  finding  a stream  of  good  water  on  the  west  side 
of  the  plateau,  we  rose  again  higher,  obtaining  a splendid 
bird’s-eye  view  of  the  picturesque  depression  we  had  just 
crossed.  The  effects  of  erosion  following  those  of  vol- 
canic activity  were  evident  enough  upon  the  entire  land- 
scape. On  the  west  side  we  had  a horseshoe-shaped, 
vertical  wall,  seemingly  containing  an  extinct  crater,  and 
yet  another  on  the  north  side  of  the  western  end  of  the 
elongated  ellipse  which  was  there  formed. 

With  some  difficulty  we  managed  to  get  the  animals 
up  to  the  summit  of  the  plateau  (elevation  2,580  feet). 
From  there  we  obtained  a sumptuous  view  beyond.  An 
immense  dyke  of  brilliant  red  rock,  flat-topped,  lay  ma j es- 

322 


HIDEOUS  TYPES  CHARACTERISTIC  OF  CENTRAL  BRAZIL. 
Ivvo  women  (left),  and  two  men  (right). 


author’s  caravan  marching  across  trailless  country. 


THE  RONCADOR  RIVER, 


GIGANTIC  FLAT  TABLELANDS 


tically  to  the  west.  At  its  foot  the  Rio  Pedra  Grande 
had  its  birth  and  then  flowed  westward  into  the 
Rio  Roncador.  Four  gigantic  flat  tablelands  stood  im- 
pressively in  a line.  Three  more,  equally  impressive, 
loomed  in  the  southwest.  Other  minor  ones,  quite  wall- 
like, rectangular  in  vertical  section,  appeared  in  the  blue 
distance,  while  the  horizon  was  barred  by  a long,  flat 
plateau. 

Looking  north  as  we  descended  from  the  tableland, 
we  found  on  our  left  another  extinct  crater,  semicircular 
in  shape,  with  several  superimposed  strata  of  lava,  each 
about  one  foot  thick,  capping  its  lip,  which  was  broken 
up  into  three  sections.  The  valley  below  that  crater 
formed  a cuvette,  the  bottom  of  which  (elevation  2,200 
feet),  showed  deep  erosion  by  water  in  one  or  two  places. 
Sand  covered  the  lava-flow,  which  had  travelled  north- 
ward. Quantities  of  heavy,  spherical,  bullet-like  blocks 
of  hard-baked  rock  were  scattered  all  about,  evidently 
shot  out  of  the  crater  when  active. 

We  had  travelled  eighty  kilometres  from  Cayambola 
in  three  days,  and  we  had  reached  a spot  of  slight,  well- 
rounded  undulations  where  grazing  was  fair.  I decided 
to  halt  early  in  the  afternoon,  more  particularly  as  this 
spot  appeared  to  me  to  have  been  at  one  time  or  other 
submerged;  probably  it  had  been  a lake  bottom.  I had, 
since  the  beginning  of  m37  journeys  been  searching  every- 
where for  fossils,  but  in  vain.  I had  not  seen  the  vestiges 
of  a single  one.  Personalty,  I was  persuaded  that  Central 
Brazil  could  well  be  geologicalty  classified  in  the  archaic 
group,  the  most  ancient  of  the  terrestrial  crust,  and  con- 
sisting (in  Brazil)  chiefly  of  gneiss,  mica  schists,  and 
granite,  solidified  into  their  present  form  b}^  intense 
eruptive  phenomena  and  dissolved,  not  by  immersion  in 
ocean  waters,  as  some  suppose,  but  by  deluges  of  such 
potential^  as  the  human  mind  can  hardly  conceive. 

It  was  quite  enough  to  visit  the  central  plateau  of 

323 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


Brazil  to  be  persuaded  that  that  continent  had  never 
been  submerged  under  a sea;  on  the  contrary,  it  must 
have  been  the  oven  of  the  world.  The  volcanic  activity 
which  must  have  taken  place  in  that  part  of  the  world  — 
it  was  not  a separate  continent  in  those  days  — was  quite, 
as  I have  said,  beyond  human  conception.  This  does  not 
mean  that  at  later  periods  there  may  not  have  been  tem- 
porary lakes  — as,  for  instance,  in  the  spot  where  we 
encamped  that  night  — or  portions  of  country  which  had 
become  flooded,  upon  the  cooling  of  the  earth,  and  sub- 
sequently became  drained  and  dry  again. 

A wonderful  surprise  awaited  me  that  day.  To  the 
north  of  my  camp  was  a peculiar  round  mound.  I 
climbed  it,  and  what  was  my  astonishment  in  the  short 
ascent  to  find  near  the  summit,  among  a lot  of  lava  pellets, 
marble  fragments,  crystals,  and  great  lumps  of  iron  ore, 
a number  of  vertebrae  from  the  tail  and  spine  of  a giant 
reptile!  The  vertebrae  had  been  disjointed  and  scattered 
somewhat  about  by  wind  and  water,  but  there  they  were: 
the  smaller  ones  on  the  side  of  the  hill,  the  larger  on  the 
summit,  which  led  me  to  believe  that  the  animal  had 
crouched  on  the  top  of  the  hill  when  dying.  Some  of  the 
fossil  vertebrae  were  so  large  and  heavy  that  I hardly  had 
the  strength  to  lift  them  up.  The  bones  — petrified  — 
were  of  a beautiful  white.  Many  of  them  had,  unfor- 
tunately, become  so  fractured  as  to  make  identification 
difficult.  On  following  the  line  of  the  dorsal  vertebrae, 
somewhat  scattered  about,  I came  upon  some  vertebrae 
which  appeared  to  me  to  be  cervical  vertebrae;  and  then, 
behold  my  joy!  in  searching  around  the  summit  of  the 
mound  I perceived  the  skull.  The  skull  was  so  big  and 
heavy  that  I could  not  carry  it  away,  but  I took  several 
photographs  and  careful  drawings  of  it  from  all  sides. 

It  was  curiously  shaped,  quite  unlike  any  other  fossil 
skull  I have  seen.  The  cranial  region  proper  was  ex- 
tremely short,  with  smallish,  round  orbits  rather  low  down 

324 


PRE-HISTORIC  SKULLS 


on  the  side  of  the  head.  The  skull  had  an  elongated  shape : 
thirty-five  centimetres  was  its  total  length,  ten  centimetres 
its  maximum  transverse  breadth,  and  five  centimetres  at 
the  central  and  widest  part  of  palate.  The  skull  itself,  with 
an  elongated  nasal  bone,  had  a flattened  point  almost  like 
a beak,  or  more  probably  like  the  base  of  a proboscis. 
The  front  part  of  the  nose  had  unfortunately  become 
fractured  and  ended  with  a flattened  segment.  A 
marked  arch  or  hump  stood  prominent  upon  the  nasal 
bone.  The  temporal  arcades  were  quite  developed,  with 
prominent  supra-orbital  bosses.  The  orbital  hollows  were 
five  and  a half  centimetres  in  diameter,  whereas  the  ex- 
ternal nares  were  nine  and  a half  centimetres,  the  pro- 
trusion in  front  of  the  nostrils  being  ten  centimetres  long. 
The  palate,  of  great  length,  had  a peculiar  complex  shape, 
like  a much-elongated  U with  another  smaller  U attached 
to  it  in  the  centre  of  its  curve. 

The  skull  had  been  worn  down  by  age  and  weathering. 
Moreover,  one  side  of  the  upper  part  of  the  cranium  had 
been  entirely  destroyed,  seemingly  by  having  rested  on 
red-hot  lava.  Many  of  the  vertebrae  were  equally  injured. 
By  even  a superficial  examination  it  was  easy  to  recon- 
struct the  tragedy  which  had  taken  place  on  that  hillock 
thousands  upon  thousands  of  years  ago. 

Searching  about,  I came  upon  the  skull  of  another 
huge  reptile,  and  a number  of  smaller  vertebrae  than  those 
belonging  to  the  animal  above  described.  The  second 
skull  was  much  flattened,  of  an  elongated  shape,  very 
broad,  the  orbital  cavity  being  high  up  on  the  skull  — 
in  fact,  not  unlike  the  skull  of  a great  seiqjent.  It 
possessed  a long,  occipital  spur,  extraordinarily  promi- 
nent, and  fairly  well-defined,  zygomatic  arches  — but  not 
quite  so  prominent  as  in  the  skull  previously  discovered. 
Seen  from  underneath,  there  seemed  to  be  a circular  cavity 
on  the  left  front,  as  if  it  had  contained  a large  fang.  This 
skull,  too,  was  also  much  damaged  on  one  side,  where  it 

325 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


had  rested  on  burning  matter  — evidently  lava  or  lapilli. 
The  skull  measured  longitudinally  forty-eight  centimetres 
and  was  twenty-three  centimetres  broad.  Seen  from 
underneath  it  resembled  a much  elongated  lozenge. 

Although  I searched  a great  deal,  I could  not  find  the 
lower  mandibles  of  these  two  skulls,  nor  loose  teeth,  but 
many  indeed  were  the  fossilized  fragments  of  bones  of 
other  animals  strewn  all  over  the  hill-top.  I found  up 
there  quite  a sufficient  quantity  to  make  the  summit  of  that 
hill  look  of  a whitish  colour.  That  was  why  I had  been 
attracted  to  it  at  first  sight,  and  had  climbed  it  in  order 
to  discover  why  it  was  so  white.  One  immense  bone, 
fractured,  was  the  pelvis  of  the  larger  animal.  Nearly 
all  those  fossils  were  in  very  poor  preservation,  much 
damaged  by  fire  and  water.  Some  were  so  eroded  as  to  be 
quite  unidentifiable. 

Most  interesting  of  all  to  me  were  two  smaller  skulls 
— one  of  a mammal  not  unlike  a leopard  or  jaguar,  the 
other  of  an  ape  or  perhaps  a primitive  human  being.  The 
latter  cranium,  like  all  the  others,  had  one  side  completely 
destroyed  by  hot  lava,  which  in  this  instance  had  also  filled 
up  a considerable  portion  of  the  brain-case.  The  human 
skull  was  small  and  under-developed,  no  sutures  showing; 
the  forehead  extremely  low  and  slanting,  almost  flattened, 
with  the  superciliary  region  and  glabella  very  prominent. 
One  of  the  orbits  (the  right)  was  badly  damaged.  The 
left,  in  perfect  preservation,  was  oval,  very  deep.  The 
form  of  the  palate  was  of  a broad  U-shape,  abnormally 
broad  for  the  size  of  the  head.  The  upper  jaw  was  fairly 
high  and  prominent,  whereas  the  zygomatic  arch  on  the  left 
(the  right  was  destroyed)  was  not  unduly  prominent,  in 
fact,  rather  small  and  less  projecting  than  the  supra- 
orbital region.  Of  the  nasal  bone  only  just  a fragment 
remained.  The  brain-case  was  small  but  well-rounded  at 
the  back,  where  it  had  comparatively  a fairly  good  breadth 
behind  the  auditory  meatus. 

326 


DERISION 


In  my  anxiety  and  enthusiasm,  I used  up,  in  photo- 
graphing the  first  skull  I found,  the  only  two  photographic 
plates  which  remained  in  the  camera  I had  brought  with 
me  up  there.  In  order  to  obtain  a fuller  view  of  the  skull 
on  the  negatives,  I placed  it  on  a rudimentary  stand  I 
constructed  with  broken  branches  of  a tree.  The  sun  had 
already  set  when  I discovered  the  two  smaller  skulls,  and 
in  any  case  I should  not  have  been  able  to  photograph 
them  that  day.  Well  recognizing  their  immense  value,  I 
enveloped  them  in  my  coat,  which  I turned  into  a kind 
of  sack  by  tying  the  sleeves  together,  and,  with  a number 
of  vertebras  and  a knee-joint  I had  collected,  proceeded 
to  carry  the  entire  load,  weighing  some  sixty  pounds,  back 
to  camp,  a mile  away. 

On  my  arrival  there  I met  with  a good  deal  of  derision 
from  my  ignorant  men.  I was  faced  with  a problem. 
Had  I told  the  men  the  immense  value  of  those  fossils,  I 
feared  they  might  be  tempted  to  steal  them  and  sell  them 
whenever  we  first  reached  a civilized  spot  — which,  true 
enough,  might  not  be  for  many  months;  a fact  my  men 
did  not  know  and  never  for  one  moment  realized.  If  I 
did  not  tell  them,  I should  have  to  stand  their  silly  derision 
as  long  as  the  journey  should  last,  for  they  openly  and 
loudly  argued  among  themselves  the  view  that  I had  gone 
mad,  and  what  better  proof  could  they  have  than  my 
carrying  a heavy  load  of  “ ugly  stones  ” as  my  personal 
baggage  ? 

Of  the  two  I came  to  the  conclusion  that  derision  was 
better  than  being  robbed.  So  I took  no  one  into  my  con- 
fidence. I merely  stored  the  fossils  carefully  away  in  a 
large  leather  case,  meaning  to  take  them  out  some  day  to 
photograph  them  as  a precaution  in  case  of  loss.  Unfor- 
tunately the  opportunity  never  offered  itself,  for  we  made 
forced  marches  every  day,  from  early  morning  until  dark, 
and  unpacking  and  repacking  was  very  inconvenient,  each 
package  having  loops  of  rope  fastened  round,  in  order  to 

327 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


be  readily  attached  to  the  saddles,  which  took  much  time 
and  trouble  to  undo.  Then  the  ridicule  of  my  men  each 
time  the  “ ugly  stones  ” were  referred  to  also  kept  me 
at  first  from  unduly  attracting  their  attention  to  them. 
With  the  many  things  I had  to  occupy  my  time  day  and 
night  I ended  by  forgetting  to  take  the  photographs  — 
greatly  owing  to  being  almost  certain  that  I should  bring 
the  skulls  themselves  safely  back  to  Europe.  But  the 
unexpected  always  happens.  We  shall  see  later  on  how, 
after  having  carried  those  fossils  safely  for  several  months, 
they  were,  unknown  to  me,  wilfully  flung,  together  with 
a quantity  of  provisions,  into  a deep  part  of  the  Arinos 
River  by  my  companions,  and  they  were  beyond  recovery. 

Greatly  to  my  regret,  we  left  that  interesting  spot  the 
next  morning.  A drenching  rain  prevented  my  paying 
a second  visit  to  the  two  hillocks  where  the  fossil  fragments 
were  to  be  found,  but  I took  the  exact  position  of  them, 
so  that  any  further  expedition  could  locate  the  spot  with 
great  ease. 

It  was  interesting  to  note  that  a Brazilian  expedition 
had  discovered  some  fossil  bones  of  a gigantic  animal  some 
200  kilometres  southwest  of  that  place,  and  other  remains 
of  a giant  animal  had  been  found  by  another  Brazilian 
expedition  on  the  banks  of  the  Paranatinga  River,  some 
400  or  500  kilometres  northeast  of  our  position. 

We  were  encamped  on  the  hank  of  the  Rio  Pedra 
Grande,  the  stream  of  that  name  which  we  had  passed 
that  day  being  merely  a tributary.  During  the  night  we 
had  observed  a double-ringed,  lunar  halo.  The  moon  was 
almost  full.  From  the  horizon  directly  under  the  moon 
were  innumerable  radiations,  not  converging  toward  the 
moon  but,  curiously  enough,  the  first  two  at  a tangent  to 
the  larger  halo,  the  others  at  equal  intervals  on  each  side. 

At  sunrise,  before  the  rain-storm  began,  we  were 
treated  to  wonderful  cloud  and  light  effects.  The  lower 
portion  of  the  sky,  of  brilliant  yellow  and  vivid  green, 

328 


A HEAVY  DOWNPOUR 


was  surmounted  by  golden  and  red  streaks  of  wonderful 
vividness.  Later,  over  the  great  natural  gateways,  the 
sky  formed  itself  into  concentric  arches  of  blazing  yellow 
and  red,  rendered  intensely  luminous  by  contrast  with  the 
heavy,  black  clouds  which  were  fast  collecting  overhead. 
No  sooner  was  the  sun  well  above  the  horizon  than  we  came 
in  for  a heavy  downpour. 

The  temperature  had  been  higher  (minimum  60° 
Fahrenheit)  than  usual  during  the  night,  and  heavy. 
The  elevation  of  our  camp  was  2,030  feet  above  the 
sea  level. 


329 


CHAPTER  XXIV 


A Swampy  Valley  — Impressive  Scenery  — “Church  Rock”  — Escap- 
ing before  a Forest  Fire  — The  Rio  Manso  — Difficulties  of 
Marching  across  Virgin  Country  — Beautiful  Rapids 

OX  leaving  camp  (June  fifteenth)  I noticed  that  the 
hills  on  which  I had  found  the  fossils  formed  a semi- 
circle to  the  west.  Rising  quickly  to  an  elevation  of 
2,070  feet,  we  were  in  sight  of  two  great  tablelands  which 
stood  to  the  west.  In  crossing  the  river  I found  a number 
of  other  fossils,  among  which  was  one  that  appeared  to  be 
the  petrified  foot  of  an  animal  of  enormous  proportions. 

We  soon  crossed  the  little  stream  Lazinlia,  which 
flowed  into  the  Pedra  Grande.  As  we  travelled  over  two 
ridges  (altitude  2,100  feet  and  2,130  feet)  separating 
deep  basins,  and  the  weather  cleared  a little,  the  view 
before  us  of  the  entire  line  of  natural  gateways,  with  two 
additional  pyramidal  and  prismatic  peaks  to  the  south, 
became  more  and  more  beautiful.  There  was  a strong 
breeze  blowing  from  the  northeast.  At  an  elevation  of 
2,150  feet  we  found  quantities  of  marble  chips  and  blocks 
and  great  masses  of  ferruginous,  froth-like  rock. 

As  we  went  along  we  obtained  an  imposing  view  to 
the  north  of  an  immense  plateau  in  three  terraces,  the 
lower  one  appearing  like  the  sea  — it  was  so  blue  — with 
the  brilliant  red,  upper  portion  rising  out  of  it  like 
a great  island.  The  foreground  of  dark  green,  in  great 
undulations,  stood  out  in  contrast  to  the  light  green  of 
the  slopes  of  the  plateau  on  the  top  of  which  we  were 
marching. 


330 


l.  A r ' J>  C 


FOSSIL  SKULL  OF  GIANT  ANIMAL. 
Side  view. 


FOSSIL  SKULL  OF  A GIANT  ANIMAL. 
Discovered  by  author.  (Seen  from  underneath.) 


GRAND  ROCK “CHURCH  ROCK.”  CHURCH  ROCK 


MARCHING  BY  COMPASS 


Central  Brazil  was  certainly  a country  of  flat  sky-lines 

— so  flat  that  often  when  the  distance  became  of  a pure 
cobalt  blue,  one  had  the  impression  of  overlooking  an 
immense  ocean,  to  which  the  green  undulations  in  sweep- 
ing lines  in  the  nearer  foreground  added  the  impression 
of  great  waves. 

It  was  indeed  difficult  to  realize  the  stupendous 
magnitude  of  the  scenes  we  constantly  had  before  us. 
That  day,  for  instance,  the  plateau  to  the  north  of  us 
stretched  across  towards  the  east  for  70°  of  the  compass 
from  bearings  magnetic  320°  (north-northwest)  to  30° 
( north-northeast ) . Above  the  plateau  was  a strange 
effect  of  clouds  — a succession  of  arrow-shaped,  nebulous 
masses. 

We  still  came  upon  basins  of  grey  ashes  — cuvettes 

— but  in  that  region  these  were  deeper  than  those  we  had 
observed  so  far,  had  luxuriant  grass,  and  in  the  moist 
centre  the  invariable  line  of  burity  palm  and  heavily 
foliaged  trees. 

Travelling  on  a northerly  course,  and  then  to  the  north- 
west, we  descended,  after  having  marched  twenty  kilo- 
metres, into  a basin  (elevation  1,950  feet)  where  a thick 
and  wide  deposit  of  fine  white  sand  and  minute  crystals 
covered  the  deeper  part  of  the  depression.  Then,  farther 
on,  the  sand  was  replaced  by  the  usual  deposits  of  grey 
ashes  which  filled  the  remainder  of  the  basin.  A stream- 
let, which  had  its  birth  in  the  centre  of  the  basin,  flowed 
north  into  the  Rio  Manso,  along  one  of  the  many  cracks 
which  were  to  be  seen  in  that  region  and  in  the  depressions 
we  had  previously  crossed.  We  came  upon  a mighty 
flow  of  red  and  black  lava  with  a somewhat  frothy  surface. 
It  was  in  superposed  layers  from  one  to  six  inches  deep, 
with  an  inclination  to  the  east  of  15°.  The  flow  itself 
had  a direction  from  west  to  east. 

As  we  were  marching  by  compass,  with  no  trail  what- 
ever, we  found  ourselves  entangled  in  a swampy  valley 

331 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


with  tall  reeds,  from  which  we  had  some  difficulty  in 
extricating  ourselves.  We  eventually  had  to  retrace  our 
steps  for  six  kilometres  in  order  to  find  an  easier  way 
for  our  animals.  After  an  examination  of  the  country 
with  my  telescope  from  a high  spot,  I decided  to  go  west- 
ward across  a flat,  swampy  plain  of  ashes,  sand,  and  water 
— most  troublesome  for  the  mules  and  horses.  They  sank 
deep  into  the  soft  ground  and  frequently  rolled  over, 
damaging  saddles  and  baggage.  One  or  two  of  my  men 
had  involuntary  baths,  when  the  animals’  knees  gave  way 
under  them. 

As  soon  as  we  had  emerged  from  that  wearisome  marsh 
the  animals  and  men  were  so  tired,  although  we  had  gone 
only  twenty-two  kilometres  from  our  last  camp,  without 
the  deviation  (twenty-eight  kilometres  with  deviation), 
that  I had  to  encamp  on  the  bank  of  the  streamlet  Fascina, 
coming  from  the  west.  There  we  had  the  laborious  task  of 
spreading  to  dry  all  the  articles  that  had  got  wet,  including 
my  bedding,  tent,  and  a quantity  of  my  clothing,  which 
was  not  packed  like  all  the  rest  in  air  and  water-tight 
cases. 

The  stream  Fascina  flowed  into  the  Rio  Furnas  and 
eventually  into  the  Rio  Manso  to  the  north,  the  latter  a 
tributary  of  the  Cuyaba  River.  That  region  had  been 
rich  in  Mangabeira  (the  Hancornia  speciosa  M.),  a wild, 
lactiferous  plant  of  much  value,  producing  a fruit  called 
the  mangaba. 

June  sixteenth.  Minimum  temperature  54°  Fahren- 
heit; elevation  1,940  feet.  On  leaving  camp,  after  a good 
deal  of  trouble  in  recovering  our  animals  in  the  morning, 
as  they  had  strayed  in  all  directions,  we  found  ourselves 
travelling  along  the  edge  of  a large,  grassy  basin  (ele- 
vation 2,000  feet)  extending  from  southeast  to  northwest, 
with  a wonderful  growth  of  burity  palms;  then  upon  a 
second  basin  (elevation  2,100  feet)  with  deep  deposits  of 
ashes.  We  climbed  higher,  to  2,150  feet,  where  we  found 

332 


A GREAT  NATURAL  ARCH 


a third  oval  cuvette  with  a surface  layer  of  ashes,  merely 
a continuation  of  the  preceding  cuvette.  We  here  resumed 
our  northerly  course,  going  through  what  the  Brazilians 
call  chapada,  or  high  land  scantily  wooded. 

To  the  southwest  we  had  a high  plateau  with  round, 
natural  towers  of  red  rock,  resembling  the  walls  of  a 
fortress.  Those  red,  cylindrical  towers  stood  all  along  the 
summit  of  the  range,  with  immense,  square  blocks  of  grey 
rock  above  them  in  horizontal  strata.  In  the  centre  of 
that  long  range  could  be  perceived  a double-tiered  crater 
and  several  grottoes.  In  its  northern  section  the  range 
was  vertical,  with  red  and  yellow  rocky  walls  over  800 
feet  high.  On  the  summit  of  that  rocky  stratum  were 
other  strata  with  a dip  to  the  south.  Half  way  up  could 
be  observed  a red  ledge  about  ten  feet  thick  (also  with  a 
dip  to  the  south)  all  along  the  entire  length  of  the  range. 
Colossal  blocks  and  flows  of  lava  were  to  be  seen  300  yards 
east  of  this  range.  In  one  place  was  an  immense,  natural 
arch,  like  the  work  of  a skilful  mason.  At  the  northern 
end  of  the  range  stood  a castle,  the  work  of  nature,  with 
three  square  towers,  and  between  them  numerous  mono- 
liths or  pillars  standing  on  walls  of  columnar  formation. 

Evidently  there  was  a crater  in  that  northern  part, 
the  castle-like  structure  being  merely  formed  by  many 
superposed  layers  of  yellow  lava.  Near  the  throat  of 
the  crater  the  lava  was  hard  baked  and  of  a bluish  red 
colour.  In  the  lower  section  the  strata  were  each  six  feet 
thick,  under  a smooth  band,  absolutely  horizontal,  one 
hundred  feet  thick.  There  were  then  two  top  layers,  each 
twenty  feet  thick,  and  four  more  layers  each  four  feet 
thick,  and  slightly  wavy.  The  last  ones  were  somewhat 
shattered,  and  displayed  large  blocks  moved  out  of  posi- 
tion, apparently  by  a volcanic  explosion. 

In  going  round  the  northern  corner  of  the  range  more 
similar  buttresses,  like  towers,  were  disclosed  — I could 
count  as  many  as  eight  — projecting  out  of  the  immense, 

833 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


vertical  block  of  rock.  Those  buttresses  were  of  brown 
and  bright  yellow  rock.  The  range  had  a general  direction 
from  southeast  to  northwest. 

Great  deposits  of  white  sand  and  ashes  were  noticeable 
on  the  surface.  In  cuts  and  in  the  bed  of  a streamlet 
were  strata  of  consolidated  ashes  in  distinct  layers  one 
inch  thick.  The  foot  of  the  gigantic  rocky  mass  was  at 
an  elevation  of  1,700  feet.  We  were  on  a slanting  plane 
forming  a conical  basin  in  continuation  of  the  crater.  To 
the  north,  where  the  basin  opened,  was  a great  stretch  of 
cobalt  blue  in  the  distance,  which  looked  just  like  a glimpse 
of  the  ocean.  But  it  was  not;  it  was  the  far-away 
plateau  we  had  seen  for  some  days. 

We  were  now  entering  a region  of  the  most  impressive 
and  weird  scenery  I had  ever  seen,  except,  indeed,  in 
the  Himalaya  Mountains.  Directly  in  front  of  us  towered 
the  Morro  Plumao,  a most  striking,  giant  block  of  rock 
several  hundred  feet  high,  standing  quite  alone,  and 
resembling  a church  surmounting  a mediaeval  castle  — 
not  unlike  St.  Michael’s  Mount,  only  with  land  around 
instead  of  water.  Even  quite  close  to  it  the  illusion  was 
perfect.  This  wonderful,  natural  structure  of  dark  red 
rock  was  in  perfectly  horizontal  strata,  each  ten  feet  thick, 
separated  and  clearly  defined  by  whitish  lines,  which  aided 
to  give  the  illusion  of  a wonderful  work  of  masonry. 

“ Church-rock,”  as  I called  it  — or  “ Spray-rock  ” 
{Plumao),  as  my  men  named  it  — stood  majestically  in 
solitary  grandeur  in  the  middle  of  a great  subsidence  of 
the  soil.  That  great  subsidence  was  in  turn  bordered  by 
immense,  vertical  cliffs  of  the  same  rock  of  which 
“ Church-rock  ” was  formed.  Indeed,  it  was  clear  that 
the  soil  had  given  way,  leaving  only  that  great  rock 
standing.  Even  my  men,  for  the  first  time  since  they  had 
been  with  me,  were  deeply  impressed  by  that  wonderful 
spectacle;  so  much  so  that  they  all  took  off  their  hats,  as 
Brazilians  always  do  in  passing  churches. 

334 


CHURCH-ROCK 


We  traversed  the  great  depression,  which  gave  us 
irrefutable  evidence  of  what  had  taken  place  in  that  zone. 
The  great,  rocky,  plateau-like  mountain  to  our  left  had 
split  and  fallen  over  on  the  north  side,  describing  an  arc 
of  a circle  of  90°.  In  fact,  as  we  went  along,  in  places 
where  the  rock  underfoot  was  exposed,  we  were  treading 
over  laminated  rock,  the  stratification  of  which  was  ver- 
tical, and  corresponded  exactly  to  that  of  the  upstanding 
wall  where  the  stratification  was  horizontal. 

Behind  “ Church-rock  ” to  the  northwest  was  a 
massive  plateau,  beyond  which  stretched  an  immense, 
undulating  depression  with  two  outstretching  spurs  from 
southwest  to  northeast  upon  it.  “ Church-rock  ” was 
twenty-six  kilometres  from  our  last  camp. 

On  the  north  side  of  “ Church-rock,”  close  to  the 
conical  hill  upon  which  the  giant  quadrangle  of  rock 
rested,  was  a hump  formed  by  huge  blocks,  the  top  one 
— a colossal  one  — just  balanced,  as  if  it  might  tumble 
over  at  any  moment.  Then  on  the  side  could  be  seen  a 
lava-flow  and  huge  masses  of  lava  which  had  been  shot  up 
with  great  force  and  curled  over,  retaining  the  frothy 
appearance  of  its  former  state  of  ebullition. 

Strangely  enough,  even  when  seen  from  the  side  and 
from  behind  (north-northwest  view),  “ Church-rock”  re- 
tained all  the  semblance  of  a castle  and  church  perched 
up  on  that  high  pinnacle.  From  the  north-northwest, 
besides  the  castellated  towers  which  surmounted  all,  there 
appeared  a perfect  representation  of  a gabled  roof  over 
the  body  of  the  church,  as  well  as  the  flying  buttresses  of 
the  walls.  Behind  was  a great  cylindrical  annex  with  a 
semispherical  superstructure,  such  as  is  often  to  be  seen 
behind  Roman  Catholic  churches.  The  illusion  was  really 
wonderful. 

Owing  to  the  pools  of  water  not  far  from  “ Church- 
rock  ” we  called  that  spot  Caponga  de  la  Lagoa. 

A few  hundred  yards  beyond  “ Church-rock  ” we  came 

335 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


upon  another  extraordinary  sight : a quadrangular,  rocky 
castle  — a perfect  cube  of  rock  — which  stood  at  a con- 
siderable elevation  upon  a conical  base,  some  distance  off 
the  wall-like  sides  of  the  plateau.  Strangely  enough,  a 
thin  wall  of  rock,  only  a few  feet  thick,  quite  vertical,  of 
great  height  and  of  great  length,  joined  this  quadrangular 
castle  to  the  plateau.  That  wall  had  evidently  remained 
standing  when  the  plateau  had  subsided.  The  larger 
plateau  along  the  foot  of  which  we  travelled  ended  in 
two  great  domes,  one  at  each  angle  of  its  eastern  terminus 
wall.  The  eastern  part  of  that  plateau  was  flat-topped, 
whereas  the  central  portion  rose  into  a double  pyramid  and 
looked  not  unlike  a giant  tent  with  a porch  attachment. 
It  was  of  a bright  yellow  colour,  apparently  sandstone 
and  ashes.  The  work  of  erosion  had  been  greater  on  the 
eastern  face,  owing,  I think,  to  the  prevalent  wind  on 
that  side. 

On  looking  back  upon  the  great  range  of  rock  which 
ended  abruptly  near  “ Church-rock  ” (which,  as  we  have 
seen,  once  formed  part  of  it),  a great,  semicircular  cavity 
was  disclosed  on  its  western  face.  The  summit  of  the  wrall 
around  the  cavity  rested  on  an  inclined  plane,  which  in 
its  turn  rested  above  a vertical  concave  wall.  The  latter 
wall  of  rock  had  conical  buttresses  at  the  terminal  points. 

West-northwest  of  the  great  wall  was  an  immense 
depression.  Only  a conical  hill  rose  above  its  last  undula- 
tions. The  upper  edge  of  that  depression  was  at  an 
altitude  of  1,550  feet  above  the  sea  level,  whereas  the  top 
of  “ Church-rock  ” was  fully  a thousand  feet  higher  — 
viz.  2,550  feet. 

At  the  terminus  of  the  first  section  of  the  cliff  range, 
interrupted  by  a great  fissure  from  the  second  section, 
another  structure  in  course  of  formation  not  unlike 
“ Church-rock  ” could  be  observed.  It  had  a quad- 
rangular tower  surmounting  it.  There  was  in  the  second 
section  of  the  range  a regular  quadrangle  of  rock,  with  a 

336 


RUNNING  BEFORE  A FOREST  FIRE 


high  tower  upon  a conical  hill,  and  another  castle-like 
structure  surmounting  a conical  base.  The  two  were  most 
impressive  as  they  stood  in  their  sombre  red  against  the 
brilliantly  blue  sky. 

Next  to  the  second  section  of  the  range,  to  the  north, 
was  a high  mountain  of  two  twin-pointed  peaks,  shaped 
like  a badly  pitched  tent.  Then  came  another  plateau, 
much  eroded  on  its  south  side.  Beyond  was  an  immense, 
black  plateau  on  three  successive  tiers ; and  this  one,  unlike 
the  others  of  which  it  was  merely  a continuation,  had 
sloping  instead  of  vertical  sides. 

We  had  a nasty  experience  that  day,  which  for  the 
moment  made  us  forget  the  beauty  of  that  wonderful 
scenery.  We  were  going  through  high  scrub  and  stunted 
trees  and  tall  grass,  much  dried  by  the  intense  heat,  quite 
suffocating  in  the  basin  with  the  refraction  from  the  huge 
rocks.  A strong  breeze  sprang  up,  and  we  were  delighted, 
when  we  saw,  fast  approaching,  a dense  black  and  white 
cloud  rolling,  as  it  were,  along  the  ground.  As  it  got 
nearer  there  was  such  loud  crackling  and  explosions  that 
it  seemed  like  the  volleys  of  musketry  in  a battle.  My 
horses  and  mules  pricked  up  their  ears,  lifting  their  heads 
high,  sniffing,  neighing,  and  braying.  They  became  rest- 
less. Before  we  had  time  to  realize  what  was  the  matter, 
we  saw  tongues  of  flames  shoot  out  from  the  earth. 
Within  a few  seconds,  with  the  wind  which  was  blowing 
high,  we  found  ourselves  with  a barrier  of  fire  close  behind 
us  and  fast  gaining  upon  11s.  The  trees  seemed  to  flare 
up  in  a moment  like  matches  or  fireworks.  A wave  of 
terrific  heat  took  our  breath  away.  We  were  almost  suffo- 
cated. There  was  only  one  way  of  escape  — in  front  of 
us.  For  to  the  left  we  had  the  impassable  barrier  of 
rock;  to  the  right  the  flames  had  already  gained  on  us 
in  a semicircle  like  a claw  of  fire.  We  stirred  on  our 
animals,  lashing  them.  My  men,  with  their  heads  wrapped 
to  prevent  suffocation  from  the  stifling  smoke,  were  in  a 

vol.  i. — 22  337 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


great  state  of  excitement.  They  were  about  to  abandon 
the  animals  in  order  to  save  their  own  lives;  but  Alcides, 
Filij^pe,  and  I kept  the  rear,  endeavouring  to  save  men, 
baggage,  and  animals.  The  flames  gained  on  us  very 
quickly.  They  occasionally  almost  licked  our  animals. 
The  mules  and  horses,  now  fully  enveloped  in  dense, 
choking  smoke,  began  to  stampede,  and  soon  all  the 
animals  were  galloping  away,  sniffing,  neighing,  and  bray- 
ing frantically.  In  their  disorderly  flight  they  crashed 
against  trees  and  tore  off  branches;  stumbled  over  rocks 
and  rolled  over  themselves;  struggling  up  on  their  feet 
only  to  resume  their  mad  race  for  life. 

For  some  little  time  it  was  all  we  could  do  to  keep 
a few  yards  in  front  of  the  flames,  the  heat  of  which  was 
roasting  our  backs  and  necks.  At  last,  in  a desperate 
effort,  we  managed  to  get  slightly  ahead,  and  when  we 
descended  — some  of  the  animals  rolled  down  — into  a 
deep  depression,  we  found  ourselves  clear  of  the  smoke. 
The  wind  was  unfortunately  blowing  the  way  we  were 
travelling,  hut  in  that  depression  we  were  sheltered,  and 
the  fire  would  not  travel  so  fast.  Our  eyes  were  smarting 
terribly  and  we  were  coughing  violently,  our  parched 
throats  and  lungs,  filled  with  the  pungent  smoke,  giving 
us  a feeling  of  nausea.  When  we  had  reached  a point  of 
comparative  safety  we  had  to  readjust  all  the  loads  on  the 
pack-saddles,  which  had  almost  come  undone.  It  was  a won- 
der to  me  that  in  the  precipitous  flight  we  had  lost  nothing. 

We  had  unavoidably  deviated  several  kilometres  from 
our  course,  as  the  animals  were  beyond  guiding  under 
those  circumstances.  Eventually,  after  a considerable 
detour  in  order  to  avoid  the  flames,  we  went  over  several 
undulations,  especially  a peninsula-like  spine  of  rock 
rising  over  a great  depression,  then  between  two  twin 
mountains.  We  emerged  on  the  bank  of  the  Rio  Manso, 
flowing  northward  on  a pebbly  bed.  We  crossed  it  where 
it  was  one  hundred  metres  wide,  but  only  two  to  three 

338 


THE  RIO  MANSO 


feet  deep.  There  was  a thick  growth  of  vegetation  — a 
belt  some  hundred  yards  wide  - — on  both  banks  of  the 
river.  The  Rio  Manso  was  there  at  an  altitude  above  the 
sea  level  of  1,150  feet. 

I took  observations  for  longitude  and  latitude  by 
double  altitudes  at  that  place.  (Latitude  13°  53'  south; 
longitude  55°  13'  west.)  I had  to  halt  there  one  day  in 
order  to  give  the  animals  a rest,  after  the  long  and  reckless 
march  of  the  previous  day  — a distance  of  forty-two 
kilometres. 

The  source  of  the  Rio  Manso  was  to  the  east-southeast 
some  120  kilometres  from  the  place  where  we  crossed  it. 
Where  we  encamped  it  received  a small  streamlet,  flowing 
over  a bed  of  laminated,  igneous  rock  and  several  suc- 
cessive strata  of  slate,  which  in  some  places  were  in  a 
vertical  position,  in  others  at  an  angle  of  40°.  I noticed 
this  vertical  foliation  and  these  laminated  strata  all  over 
the  great  depression  we  had  crossed  in  order  to  reach  the 
Rio  Manso. 

The  Rio  Manso,  which  flowed  into  the  Cuyaba  River, 
was  not  to  be  confounded  with  the  Rio  Manso  forming  the 
head-waters  of  the  Rio  das  Mortes,  which  eventually 
threw  itself  into  the  river  Araguaya. 

Owing  to  one  of  my  animals  having  strayed  away  and 
the  difficulty  of  finding  it  again  in  the  tall  grass  and  high 
vegetation,  we  were  not  able  to  leave  camp  until  the  after- 
noon of  June  eighteenth.  Soon  after  starting  on  the 
march  we  went  through  a marvellous  arch  of  thick  foliage, 
creepers,  bamboos,  and  akuri  palms,  previous  to  crossing 
a streamlet  nine  metres  wide  and  one  foot  deep,  flowing 
towards  the  west.  We  had  no  end  of  trouble  near  these 
streamlets,  as  they  flowed  between  precipitous  banks  fifty 
to  seventy  feet  high.  There  was  no  trail.  The  animals  fre- 
quently lost  their  footing  over  the  slippery,  steep  slope, 
and  rolled  down,  baggage  and  all,  until  they  reached  the 
bottom;  or  else  they  would  sometimes  stick  half  way 

839 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


down  against  trees  and  liane,  and  we  had  the  greatest 
difficulty  in  extricating  them  again. 

There  was  a low  range  extending  from  north  to  south 
along  the  left  bank  of  the  Rio  Manso.  From  a hill  1,470 
feet  high  above  the  sea  level,  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
river,  we  saw  a plateau  in  four  terraces  — the  third  of 
the  line  of  plateaux  we  had  seen  on  our  preceding  march. 
Upon  getting  higher  we  perceived  to  the  south,  beyond 
the  four-terraced  plateau,  another  plateau  with  vertical 
walls,  and  to  the  southwest  a high,  double-humped  dome 
resembling  Mount  Vesuvius  in  Italy.  Evidently  one  more 
of  the  innumerable,  extinct  volcanoes  to  be  seen  in  that 
region.  The  mountainous  mass  extended  in  a more  con- 
fused form  farther  to  the  southwest.  On  our  side  of  the 
Rio  Manso  the  country  was  gently  undulating;  in  fact, 
it  formed  many  parallel  ridges  of  low,  well-rounded  hills 
with  occasional  deep  hollows  or  basins  between.  One 
could  not  help  being  particularly  struck  by  the  wonderful 
regularity  and  strong  similarity  of  the  curves  on  the 
parallel  hill-ranges,  as  if  all  had  been  turned  out  of  the 
same  mould.  The  hill-range  we  were  on  was  1,500  feet 
above  the  sea  level.  The  others,  excepting  one  or  two, 
were  lower. 

There  was  an  absolutely  flat  horizon  line  to  the  north, 
with  no  mountain  range  in  sight.  The  country  opening 
up  before  us  was  from  that  point  almost  entirely  made 
up  of  campos,  with  growths  of  trees,  principally  near 
streams  in  the  valleys.  We  crossed  a watercourse  thirty 
metres  wide  and  one  foot  deep  at  an  elevation  of  1,350 
feet.  We  called  it  the  Palmeira,  owing  to  the  many  palms 
upon  its  banks.  Here  grew  many  great  caja  or  cajazeiro 
trees  (of  the  genus  Anaeardiaceee) , the  largest  and  tallest 
trees  I had  yet  seen  in  Brazil,  and  Garappa  or  Garabu 
(of  the  genus  Terebinthaceas)  trees  — very  interesting  on 
account  of  their  peculiar  winged  roots.  They  resembled 
the  nonoko,  which  were  characteristic  of  the  Polynesian 

340 


QUADRANGULAR  ROCKY  MOUNTAIN. 

Connected  by  natural  wall  of  rock  with  the  vertical-sided  range  in  background. 


AUTHOR  S CARAVAN  IN  THE  HEART  OF  MATTO  GROSSO, 


A NERVOUS  MULE 


Islands  and  Philippine  Archipelago,  only  the  Brazilian 
ones  never  attained  proportions  so  large. 

With  endless  trouble  we  had  gone  twenty  kilometres. 
We  had  come  to  streams,  where  again,  owing  to  the  precip- 
itous descents  on  the  slippery,  high  banks,  several  mules 
fell  over  and  rolled  down  into  the  stream.  One  mule, 
particularly,  had  become  very  nervous  on  approaching 
those  places.  Foreseeing  the  punishment  which  would  be 
meted  out,  its  knees  invariably  began  to  tremble  and  give 
way,  and  it  let  itself  roll  down  purposely,  every  time  we 
came  to  those  difficult  passages.  Once  down  at  the 
bottom,  with  baggage  often  immersed  deep  in  water,  we 
had  the  greatest  difficulty  in  making  the  wretched  animal 
get  up  again,  and  we  frequently  had  to  drag  it  bodily  up 
the  opposite  slope  by  means  of  ropes.  I have  never  seen 
an  animal  stand  more  beating  than  that  brute  did. 
Although  I am  most  kind  to  animals,  I must  say  for  my 
men  that  this  particular  mule  often  drove  us  all  to  absolute 
despair.  Dragging  the  dead  weight  of  an  animal  up  a 
steep  slope,  forty,  fifty,  or  even  seventy  feet  high  — we 
were  only  seven  men  — was  no  joke  at  all.  When  you  had 
to  repeat  the  operation  several  times  a day,  it  was  some- 
what trying.  Once  the  brute  had  been  dragged  up  to  the 
top  it  would  quickly  get  up  on  its  legs,  and  marched  well 
while  on  fairly  good  ground.  But  in  moments  of  danger 
it  was  one  of  the  most  pusillanimous  animals  I have  ever 
possessed. 

I had  given  strict  orders  that  in  places  of  that  kind 
the  more  timid  animals  were  to  be  unloaded,  and  the 
loads  conveyed  across  on  men’s  backs.  My  orders  were 
always  disobeyed.  The  result  generally  was  that  not  only 
did  the  men  have  to  carry  the  loads  eventually,  but  we  had 
to  carry  the  animals  as  well.  Endless  time  and  energy 
were  thus  wasted.  That  is  what  happens  to  people  who 
try  to  save  themselves  trouble. 

At  sundown,  after  having  witnessed  a glorious  view  of 

341 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


the  valley  to  the  north,  we  descended  rapidly  amidst 
luxuriant  vegetation  of  tall  bamboos,  akuri  palms,  and 
festooned  liane,  until  we  reached  the  Palmeira  River, 
flowing  from  north  to  south.  Having  crossed  it,  we  con- 
tinued for  three  and  a half  kilometres  through  dense  vege- 
tation, and  then  recrossed  it  at  a spot  where  it  passed 
within  enormous  fissures  in  colossal  masses  of  highly  pol- 
ished, yellow  lava.  After  solidification,  these  masses  of 
lava  had  been  subjected  to  violent  commotion,  as  their 
stratification  was  nearly  in  a vertical  position. 

Wherever  possible  I took  observations  for  latitude  and 
longitude,  in  order  to  ascertain  my  exact  position;  an 
eight-inch  sextant,  mercurial  artificial  horizon,  and  chro- 
nometers being  used  for  the  purpose.  It  is  not  easy  to 
describe  the  torture  you  would  have  to  endure  when  taking 
those  tedious  observations.  The  glass  roof  of  the  artificial 
horizon  had  unfortunately  been  broken.  You  would  have 
to  use  great  ingenuity  in  order  to  screen  the  mercury 
from  the  wind  so  as  to  obtain  a well-defined  reflection. 
No  sooner  would  you  get  a perfect  contact  of  the 
sun’s  image  and  its  reflection,  than  some  huge  fly  or 
other  insect  would  begin  to  promenade  on  the  mercury, 
disturbing  its  surface.  Butterflies  were  even  more  trouble- 
some, as  they  left  upon  the  mercury  — by  the  luminosity 
of  which  they  were  greatly  attracted  — sediments  of 
multi-coloured  powder  and  down  from  their  wings  and 
bodies.  The  mercury  had  to  be  carefully  re-filtered  before 
work  could  proceed.  Then,  what  was  worse,  when  both 
your  hands  were  occupied  — one  holding  the  sextant,  the 
other  gently  screwing  the  vernier  — hundreds  of  mos- 
quitoes, taking  advantage  of  your  helpless  condition, 
buzzed  round  and  settled  on  your  nose,  ears,  neck,  eyelids, 
and  forehead,  stinging  you  for  all  they  were  worth. 
Swarms  of  bees  — a dwarf  kind,  with  body  in  yellow  and 
black  stripes;  fortunately  these  did  not  sting  — also 
placidly  roamed  upon  every  available  patch  of  skin  with 

342 


CAMBAYUVAH  RIVER 


a provoking  tickling.  A great  number  of  them  settled 
along  the  edges  of  the  eyelids,  attracted  by  the  sheen  of 
the  retina  of  the  eye,  into  which  they  gazed  with  great 
interest.  Others,  more  inquisitive,  would  explore  the 
inside  of  your  ears;  while  millions  — actually  millions  — 
of  pium,  the  tiny  gnats,  more  impertinent  than  all  the 
others  taken  together,  dashed  with  great  force  up  your 
nose,  into  your  eyes,  into  your  mouth,  and  far  into  your 
ears,  and  were  most  troublesome  to  remove.  Your  ankles 
and  knees  and  wherever  the  skin  was  soft  were  itching 
terribly  with  carrapatinhos,  and  before  you  got  through 
with  your  work,  you  were  also  swarming  all  over  with  ants 
of  all  sizes,  which  careered  over  your  body  and  inflicted 
painful  bites  whenever  you  placed  your  hand  upon  your 
clothes  to  arrest  their  progress.  When  you  had  endured 
the  torture  long  enough,  and  had  managed  to  take  a satis- 
factory solar  observation,  you  generally  had  to  remove  all 
your  clothes  in  order  to  get  rid  of  the  unpleasant  parasites ; 
and  you  then  had  a good  hour’s  hard  work  cut  out  for  you. 

We  continued  our  march  northward,  the  temperature 
in  the  sun  being  105°  Fahrenheit.  The  minimum  tem- 
perature had  been  60°  Fahrenheit  during  the  night  of 
June  seventeenth,  and  64°  on  June  eighteenth.  We 
crossed  the  Piraputanga  River,  flowing  into  the  Rio 
Manso,  and  then  passed  over  a magnificent  flow  of  yellow, 
red,  and  black  lava,  the  Cambayuvah  River,  a tributary 
of  tbe  Palmeira. 

The  Cambayuvah  flowed  through  a great  volcanic 
crack  seventy-five  feet  high,  the  sides  of  the  crack  showing 
much-fissured  strata  in  a vertical  position.  A smaller 
streamlet  entered  the  Cambayuvah  where  we  crossed  it. 
Wonderfully  beautiful,  indeed,  were  the  rapids  among  bril- 
liantly coloured  red  and  yellow  rocks,  the  water  winding  its 
way  among  high,  upstanding  pillars  and  sharp  blades  of 
laminated  rock. 

A beautiful  waterfall  tumbled  over  with  a great  noise 

343 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


into  a pool,  scooped  out  of  an  immense  block  of  such 
hardened  rock  that  even  the  force  of  that  violent  stream 
seemed  to  have  had  but  little  erosive  effect  upon  it.  The 
edges  of  it  were  as  sharp  as  possible,  instead  of  being  worn 
smooth  and  rounded  by  the  constant,  rapid  flow  of  water. 
The  rock  had  been  hard  baked,  and  was  of  a shiny  black 
colour,  almost  as  lustrous  as  crystal.  At  the  bottom  of 
those  picturesque  rapids  was  a circular,  volcanic  vent,  the 
periphery  of  which  had  been  blackened  by  the  action  of 
fire.  The  Cambayuvah  followed  a general  course  of 
southeast  to  northwest. 

We  camped  near  that  enchanting  spot,  most  pic- 
turesque, but  terrible  for  my  animals,  as  the  grazing  was 
poor.  My  mules,  when  let  free  at  the  end  of  the  march, 
stood  helpless  around  the  camp,  looking  reproachfully  at 
us,  and  making  no  effort  to  go  far  afield  in  order  to  get 
something  to  eat.  The  poor  things  were  quite  exhausted. 
I saw  well  that  they  could  not  last  much  longer.  My  men 
were  constantly  worrying  me,  and  saying  that  we  were 
going  to  sure  perdition.  They  had  become  painfully 
homesick,  and  had  they  not  been  dead-tired,  too  — more 
so,  perhaps,  than  the  mules  and  horses  — I should  have 
expected  great  trouble  from  them.  As  it  was,  to  lead  on 
those  men  with  persuasion  and  kindness  was  an  exhausting 
mental  effort  for  me.  Once  or  twice  the  suggestion  was 
made  that  if  I did  not  agree  to  go  back  the  way  we  had 
come  I might  perhaps  get  killed,  and  they  would  return 
alone.  When  I enquired  whether  any  of  them  could  find 
their  way  back  alone,  they  said  “no”;  so  I suggested 
that  perhaps  it  would  be  to  their  advantage  to  let  me  live. 
I might  eventually  see  them  out  of  that  difficulty. 

In  all  my  travels  I have  seldom  come  across  men  more 
helpless  at  finding  their  way  about,  or  realizing  in  which 
direction  they  had  travelled.  Barring  Alcides,  none  of 
them  had  any  more  idea  whether  we  had  travelled  south, 
north,  east,  or  west  of  Goyaz,  than  the  man  in  the  moon. 

* 344 


INSTINCT 


Naturally  I did  not  exert  myself  to  enlighten  them 
unduly,  for  there  lay  my  great  and  only  hold  over  them. 
I had  fully  realized  that  I was  travelling  with  an  itinerant 
lunatic  asylum,  and  I treated  my  men  accordingly.  No 
matter  what  they  did  or  said,  I always  managed  to  have 
things  my  own  way.  N ever  by  violence,  or  by  a persuasive 
flow  of  language  — the  means  used  by  the  average  mortal. 
No,  indeed;  but  by  mere  gentleness  and  kindness;  very 
often  by  absolute  silence.  Few  people  realize  the  force 
of  silence  on  momentous  occasions;  but  of  course  few 
people  know  how  to  remain  silently  silent,  if  I may  so 
express  it,  in  moments  when  their  life  is  seriously  at  stake. 
Silence  is  indeed  the  greatest  force  a man  can  use,  if  he 
knows  how  to  use  it.  It  is  certainly  invaluable  in 
exploring,  when  naturally  one  is  not  always  thrown  into 
contact  with  the  best  of  people. 

The  animals  strayed  away  during  the  night,  and  it 
took  all  the  best  part  of  four  hours  to  recover  them  in 
the  morning.  Instinct  is  a wonderful  thing.  They  had 
all  travelled  to  a place  where,  over  undulating  country, 
fairly  open  campos,  slightly  wooded  with  stunted  trees, 
were  to  be  found,  and  where  they  could  obtain  something 
to  eat.  When  we  crossed  those  campos  after  our  depar- 
ture from  camp,  foliated  rock  showed  through  the  surface 
soil  in  many  spots,  in  strata  either  displaced  and  left 
vertical  — in  many  cases  at  an  angle  of  38°  — or  in  its 
original,  horizontal  plane.  Elsewhere  dips  in  all  kinds  of 
directions  showed  that  there  must  have  been  a good  deal 
of  commotion  in  that  region  when  that  part  of  the  country 
subsided  and  formed  the  basin  we  were  then  crossing. 
The  typical  feature  of  all  those  undulations  was  their 
arched  backs. 

We  were  at  a low  elevation,  only  1,300  feet  above  the 
sea  level.  We  were  travelling  over  immense  quantities 
of  marble  pebbles  and  volcanic  debris.  We  there  made 
the  acquaintance  of  the  gramadin,  a plant  with  curved 

345 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


spikes,  which  seldom  attained  a height  of  more  than  one 
inch  above  the  ground.  It  was  terribly  poisonous  if 
touched. 

We  went  over  three  successive  ridges  (elevation  1,300 
feet) . On  the  summit  of  each  ridge  we  found  a profusion 
of  marble  debris  and  even  large  blocks  immaculately  white 
or  else  yellow,  probably  rendered  of  the  latter  colour  by 
contact  with  iron,  plentiful  in  that  region. 

On  the  summit  of  the  sixth  ridge  (elevation  1,330 
feet),  that  day,  we  came  upon  large  sheets  of  foliated 
rock,  again  almost  absolutely  vertical  in  its  stratification, 
and  great  masses  of  thin  slate  plates  or  foliations  ex- 
tending from  east  to  west. 

Farther  on,  from  a high  point,  1,450  feet  above  the 
sea  level,  we  could  gaze  once  more  upon  a gorgeous, 
panoramic  view  of  the  marvellous  scenery  we  had  left 
behind  — the  great  plateaux  of  rock  as  red  as  fire,  and 
“ Church-rock  ” looming  high  against  the  sky.  We  kept 
on  rising  upon  various  undulations ; that  day’s  march  was 
one  of  continuous  ascents  and  descents.  At  1,600  feet 
we  found  more  masses  of  vertically  foliated  slate,  ashes 
consolidated  into  easily  friable  sheets,  and  large  quantities 
of  beautiful  marble. 

To  the  north  and  northeast  we  had  delightful  scenery, 
the  j)ao  d’arco  trees  in  full  bloom,  of  a reddish  purple 
colour,  adding  greatly  to  the  vivid  colour-scheme  of  that 
view,  with  its  cobalt  blue  of  the  distant  mountains  and  the 
Veronese  green  of  the  campos  in  the  foreground.  Nearly 
all  the  ridges  we  had  crossed  which  extended  from  north- 
east to  southwest  were  well  rounded,  being  fairly  well 
padded  with  sediments  of  earth,  sand,  and  ashes. 

We  descended  to  1,300  feet  (above  the  sea  level) 
through  thin  forest,  in  a valley  where  bamboo  was  abun- 
dant, as  well  as  gamelleira  trees  with  their  winged  roots 
of  great  size.  The  gamelleira  was  somewhat  larger  than 
the  garajjjJa  or  garabu.  We  found  in  that  valley  a beau- 

346 


A POISONOUS  STREAM 


tiful  grove  of  akuri  palms,  the  palms  being  ten  to  fifteen 
feet  high.  In  going  through,  cutting  our  way  with  falcons 
— long,  heavy-bladed  knives  specially  made  for  cutting 
through  forests  — we  were  much  worried  by  spiders’  webs 
of  great  size,  from  which  we  had  trouble  in  extricating  our 
heads  and  hands  as  we  went  along.  There  were  thousands 
of  those  webs  at  the  entrance  of  the  forest,  and  we  dragged 
them  all  along  on  our  passage.  With  their  viscous 
properties  they  clung  to  us,  and  we  could  only  shake  them 
off  with  difficulty. 

Most  interesting  of  all  was  the  cepa  d’agua,  a powerful 
liane,  four  inches  in  diameter,  festooned  from  the  highest 
branches  of  trees,  and  which  when  cut  ejected  most  de- 
licious, cool  water.  Then  there  Avas  a tree  called  by  the 
Brazilians  “ mulher  pobre  ” or  “ poor  woman’s  tree  ” — 
do  you  know  why?  — because  from  its  juice  it  was  possible 
to  make  soap,  which  saved  the  expense  of  buying  it. 
There  was  a roundabout  way  of  reasoning  for  you. 

Eighteen  kilometres  from  our  last  camp  we  came  to 
a rapid  streamlet  of  the  most  limpid  water,  the  Rio 
Mazagan  (elevation  1,300  feet  above  the  sea  level),  four 
metres  wide  and  four  inches  deep.  When  we  drank  it  it 
nearly  made  us  ill,  so  foul  was  its  taste  of  sulphur  and 
lead.  The  treacherous  stream  flowed  into  the  Cuvaba 
River. 

There  were  many  tamburi  trees  of  great  proportions, 
handsome  trees  with  clean,  healthy  white  bark  and  minute 
leaves  — at  the  summit  of  the  tree  only.  In  the  forest, 
although  the  taller  trees  were  generally  far  apart,  none 
of  them  had  branches  or  leaves  lower  than  thirty  to  forty 
feet  from  the  ground.  The  angico  or  angicu  {Piptadenia 
rigida  Benth.),  which  was  quite  plentiful,  was  also  a good- 
looking  tree  of  appreciable  height  and  circumference. 

Upon  emerging  from  the  beautiful  forest,  quite  clear 
underneath  with  only  a few  ferns,  we  crossed  great 
campos  — " campina  grande  ” as  my  Brazilians  called 

347 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


them.  Skirting  the  forest  in  a northerly  direction,  we 
went  over  a low  hill  range  with  delightful  clear  campos 
and  patches  of  forest.  We  crossed  another  streamlet  of 
foul-tasting  water  — with  a strong  flavour  apparently  of 
lead. 

In  the  great  undulating  valley  we  left  behind  — as  we 
now  altered  our  course  slightly  to  the  northwest  — was 
prominent  a double-humped  hill  which  rose  higher  than 
any  other  except  in  the  northwest  portion  of  the  landscape. 
There  a high  chain  of  hills  could  be  seen. 

When  we  crossed  over  the  second  ridge  (elevation 
1,400  feet),  strewn  with  yellow  lava  pellets,  at  the  end  of 
extensive  campos  we  obtained  an  imposing  view  to  the 
north.  An  elevated  flat-toj)ped  tableland  of  great  mag- 
nitude rose  in  front  of  us  — a perfectly  straight  line 
against  the  sky,  but  terminating  abruptly  with  three 
gigantic  steps,  with  a subsidiary  one  upon  the  second  step, 
at  its  western  end.  This  plateau  stood  out,  a brilliant 
mass  of  cobalt  blue  with  great  projecting  spurs,  like  a 
half-section  of  a cone  surmounted  by  a semi-cylindrical 
tower  along  the  southern  wall  of  the  plateau.  Then  a 
strange  hill  mass  of  four  distinct  composite  domed  heights 
with  minor  peaks  stood  between  the  plateau  and  us  — and 
extended,  like  most  of  the  other  ranges,  from  southeast 
to  northwest. 


348 


CAMPOS  AND  CHAPADA  OF  MATTO  GROSSO, 


THE  DOGS  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 


CHAPTER  XXV 


The  Blue  Mountains  — The  Cuyaba  River  — Inaccurate  Maps  — A 
Rebellion  in  Camp  — Infamy  of  Author’s  Followers  — The  Lagoa 
dos  Veados  and  the  Seven  Lakes  — Falling  Back  on  Diamantino 
— Another  Mutiny  — Slavery  — Descending  from  the  Tableland 

WE  had  gone  ninety-six  kilometres  in  four  days’ 
marching  since  leaving  the  Rio  Manso.  W e were 
only  a few  kilometres  from  the  Serra  Azul,  or  Blue 
Mountains  — truly  mountains  of  the  most  vivid  and  purest 
cobalt  blue  I had  ever  seen  — quite  a wonderful  spectacle. 

We  made  our  camp  in  a prairie  with  good  grazing 
for  our  animals.  Although  we  were  at  a comparatively 
low  elevation — 1,150  feet  above  the  sea  level  — the 
minimum  temperature  of  the  atmosphere  was  56°  Fahren- 
heit during  the  night. 

On  leaving  camp  — still  proceeding  north  — we  de- 
scended to  1,100  feet  into  a lovely  stretch  of  magnificent 
grass  with  a lagoon.  The  level  of  the  water  was  low,  as 
we  were  then  at  the  end  of  the  dry  season.  On  the  flat 
grassy  land  were  curious  semispherical  mounds,  four  to  six 
metres  in  diameter  and  from  two  to  six  feet  high.  On  each 
of  these  mounds  were  a few  stunted  trees.  No  trees 
whatever  existed  except  upon  these  small  mounds,  the 
explanation  being,  I think,  that  the  mounds  had  formed 
around  the  trees  while  these  were  growing,  and  not  that 
the  trees  had  grown  upon  the  mounds. 

As  we  were  getting  nearer,  the  Serra  Azul  to  the  north 
was  most  impressive.  I think  that  it  was  partly  due  to 
the  bluish  foliage  of  the  vegetation  upon  it  that  the  range, 
even  close  by,  appeared  of  so  vivid  a blue,  and  also  to  the 

319 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


deep  blue  shadows  cast  by  the  spurs  which  projected,  some 
to  the  southeast,  others  due  south  — that  is,  it  will  be 
understood,  on  the  southern  face  of  the  range. 

Thick  deposits  of  cinders  lay  in  the  valley.  On 
approaching  an  intermediate  and  lower  range  we  cut  our 
way  through  scrub,  chiefly  of  sciadera  trees,  seldom  grow- 
ing to  a greater  height  than  seven  feet.  The  domed  hills 
showed  through  the  grass  great  blocks  of  volcanic  rock, 
while  at  the  foot  of  the  hills  could  be  noticed  huge  boulders 
of  consolidated  ashes  Avith  veins  of  crystals  and  marble. 
There,  too,  the  stratification  was  vertical.  There  was 
lamination  in  some  of  the  rock,  but  not  in  the  granite 
blocks  nor  in  the  blocks  of  marble,  which  appeared  to  have 
been  subjected  to  enormous  heat.  Some  of  the  rock  had 
been  in  a state  of  absolute  ebullition. 

At  the  spot  where  we  crossed  the  range,  starting  our 
ascent  from  an  elevation  of  1,100  feet,  were  immense  holes, 
vents,  and  cracks  in  the  earth’s  crust.  As  we  rose  slightly 
higher  among  many  chains  of  low  hills,  we  were  upon  a 
horizontal  stratum  of  laminated  granite.  Higher  still  we 
passed  a semicircular  hill  composed  of  immense  blocks  of 
granite.  In  the  centre  of  the  semicircle  was  a great  round 
hole,  thirty  feet  in  diameter,  an  extinct  crater.  Farther  on, 
ascending  upon  an  inclined  plane,  we  came  to  another 
similar  semicircle,  not  of  rock  that  time,  but  of  red  earth 
and  cinders.  When  we  reached  the  highest  point  (ele- 
vation 1,270  feet)  of  the  divide,  we  had  to  our  left  huge 
pinnacles  and  pillars  of  rock  of  the  most  fantastic  shapes, 
monoliths  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet  high,  and  rocks  hollowed 
by  the  action  of  fire.  Big  boulders,  which  had  become  per- 
fectly rounded  by  having  been  shot  through  the  air  and 
revolved  at  a great  speed  while  in  a half-solid  condition, 
were  to  be  seen  scattered  all  over  the  inclined  planes  of 
the  saddle  of  the  divide.  Giant  cacti  grew  in  abundance 
in  the  interstices  between  rocks.  Although  most  of  the 
rocks  were  blackened  outside,  by  clipping  off  the  outer 

350 


A FREAK  OF  NATURE 


surface  one  found  that  they  contained  inside  beautiful 
white  marble  or  else  greyish  granite.  The  latter  was 
striated  with  thin  layers,  not  more  than  a quarter  or  half 
an  inch  thick,  of  crystallized  matter,  forming  veins  in  the 
blocks  or  dividing  two  strata. 

Everywhere  could  he  noticed  remarkable  perforations 
of  all  sizes  in  the  rocks,  great  spherical  or  ovoid  hollows, 
or  cylindrical,  tubular  channels.  In  the  ground  were 
many  volcanic  vents  with  lips  baked  by  tire. 

On  our  right,  a kilometre  or  so  farther  on,  after  having 
gone  through  an  extensive  stretch  of  red  sand  and  lapilli, 
we  came  across  three  hills,  the  central  one  of  which  had 
the  appearance  of  a cylindrical  tower  of  masonry  with 
windows  and  doors.  It  was  a wonderful  freak  of  nature. 
Under  this  huge  tower  were  several  caves  and  grottoes. 

Descending  upon  the  opposite  side  of  the  range,  at 
an  elevation  of  1,200  feet  we  found  the  dry  bed  of  a 
streamlet,  which  flowed  in  a northerly  direction,  when  it 
did  flow  at  all.  On  emerging  from  the  wide  hill  mass  — 
about  eighteen  kilometres  across  — we  found  ourselves 
among  a lot  of  burity  palms  on  the  western  spur  of  the 
Serra  Azul.  When  we  were  actually  upon  them,  the  Blue 
Mountains  lost  their  blue  appearance  and  were  more  of  a 
greyish  green,  owing  to  the  vegetation  which  covered  most 
of  their  slopes.  The  range  was  formed  of  three  distinct  ter- 
races, the  lower  one  being  of  greater  height  than  the  two 
upper  ones.  A number  of  low  hill  ranges,  starting  from 
the  main  range,  branched  off  like  spurs  toward  the  south. 
The  uppermost  terrace  of  the  main  range  was  supported  on 
a high,  vertical  wall  of  red  rock. 

On  meeting  the  Rio  Coralzinho  we  skirted  it  for  some 
distance  through  the  forest,  then  marched  among  a great 
many  domes,  small  and  large;  after  which  we  crossed  a 
wonderful  field  of  huge  monoliths,  superjjosed  boulders, 
and  rocks  of  all  kinds  of  fantastic  shapes. 

We  had  marched  thirty  kilometres  that  day.  We  en- 

351 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


camped  on  the  river  Piraputangas,  a tributary  on  the  left 
side  of  the  Cuyaba  Grande  River  — the  Cuyaba  Grande 
being  in  its  turn  a tributary  on  the  right  of  the  Cuyaba 
River. 

The  Cuyaba  River  described  almost  an  arc  of  a circle, 
in  fact,  quite  a semicircle,  its  birth  taking  place  in  the 
Serra  Azul.  Where  we  crossed  it  we  were  only  a short 
distance  to  the  west  from  its  point  of  origin. 

Where  we  had  made  our  camp  we  were  in  a large 
grassy  plain  about  six  kilometres  long  and  nearly  two 
kilometres  wide.  The  rainy  season  was  fast  approaching. 
We  came  in  for  a regular  downpour  during  the  night, 
accompanied  by  high  wind,  which  knocked  down  all  our 
tents,  as  the  pegs  would  not  hold  in  the  soft,  moist  ground. 
We  had  a busy  time  endeavouring  to  protect  the  baggage. 
W e all  were  absolutely  soaked.  The  minimum  tempera- 
ture was  52°  Fahrenheit.  In  the  morning,  after  the  wind 
had  abated  and  the  rain  had  stopped,  we  were  enveloped 
in  thick  fog. 

We  had  descended  to  so  low  an  altitude  as  750  feet 
above  the  sea  level  on  the  north  side  of  the  Serra  Azul, 
the  lowest  elevation  we  had  been  at  for  some  considerable 
time.  We  had  descended  altogether  from  the  highest  part 
of  the  great  Central  Brazilian  plateau.  From  that  point 
all  the  waters  would  be  flowing  to  the  northeast  or  north. 
We  were,  in  fact,  within  a stone’s  throw,  to  be  more 
accurate,  within  the  radius  of  a few  kilometres,  of  the 
birthplace  of  the  Rio  Novo,  the  head-waters  of  the  River 
Arinos,  of  the  Rio  Verde  (Green  River),  and  of  the 
several  sources  of  the  Rio  S.  Manoel  or  das  Tres  Barras, 
or  Paranatinga;  and  not  distant  from  the  sources  of  the 
great  Xingu  River. 

The  Serra  Azul,  extending  from  west  to  east,  was 
interesting  geographically,  not  only  because  it  marked  the 
northern  terminus  of  the  highest  terrace  of  the  great 
central  plateau,  but  also  because  from  it  or  near  it  rose 

352 


MARVELLOUS  SCENERY  OF  THE  CENTRAL  BRAZILIAN  PLATEAU. 
“Church  rock”  standing  in  l lie  centre. 


WORTHLESS  MAPS 


two  of  the  greatest  rivers  of  Central  Brazil  — the  Xingu 
and  the  Arinos  (Tapajoz) , the  latter  the  most  central  and 
important  river  of  Brazil,  crossing  the  entire  Republic 
from  south  to  north,  as  far  as  the  Amazon. 

On  June  twenty-first  we  crossed  the  Piraputangas 
(elevation  750  feet  above  the  sea  level),  where,  owing  to 
the  steep  banks,  we  had  much  difficulty  in  taking  mules 
and  baggage  to  the  opposite  side.  We  then  proceeded 
across  another  large  plain,  skirting  the  spurs  of  the  Serra 
Azul.  Nine  kilometres  from  camp  we  came  to  a stream 
eighty  metres  wide,  which  flowed  from  northeast  to  south- 
west. It  had  an  average  depth  of  one  and  a half  feet.  It 
was,  I think,  the  Cuyaba  Grande. 

It  was  not  easy  to  identify  those  rivers,  as  the  existing 
maps  of  that  country  were  absolutely  worthless,  most  of 
them  being  filled  in  with  fancy  mountains  and  rivers, 
which  either  did  not  exist  at  all  or  were  sometimes  hun- 
dreds of  kilometres  out  of  their  position.  There  were 
frequently  mistakes  of  two,  three,  and  more  degrees  in  the 
latitudes  and  longitudes,  even  of  important  places.  As 
for  the  tributary  rivers,  of  which  merely  the  mouths  were 
known  and  named,  they  had  supplied  good  material  for 
the  imagination  of  more  or  less  artistic  cartographers  in 
order  to  fill  in  the  rest  of  their  course.  Even  the  German 
map  and  the  American  maps  of  the  International  Bureau 
of  American  Republics,  which  were  the  two  best,  were 
extremely  inaccurate  in  their  representation  of  that  region. 
F or  instance,  the  latter  map  — and  nearly  all  the  other 
maps  — placed  the  Serra  Azul  some  180  or  200  kilo- 
metres south  of  its  actual  position.  The  German  map  was 
some  70  kilometres  out.  The  Serra  Azul  could  be  seen 
from  a great  distance,  and  had  been  marked  approxi- 
mately and  not  by  actual  observations  on  the  spot.  Nor, 
of  course,  had  the  tributaries  of  the  Cuyaba  been  explored 
or  even  seen  except  at  their  mouths ; hence  their  imaginary 
courses. 


Vol.  I. — 23 


353 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


Considering  how  the  maps  of  those  regions  had  been 
got  together,  it  was  really  wonderful  that,  with  all  their 
blunders,  they  gave  as  much  information  as  they  did. 
Unhappy,  nevertheless,  would  be  the  poor  traveller  who 
relied  on  those  maps  in  making  a journey  across  the 
country.  For  instance,  if  you  expected  to  come  upon  a 
certain  river  in  one  day  and  did  not  get  there  until  after 
ten  or  fifteen  days’  hard  marching;  if  you  expected  to 
find  a mountain  range  — nearly  as  high  as  the  Himalayas 
or  at  least  as  high  as  the  Andes,  according  to  the  deep 
shading  on  the  maps  — and  found  instead  an  interminable 
flat  plain;  and  if  you  saw  on  your  map  rivers  marked 
navigable,  and  found  rapids  instead,  in  comparison  with 
which  the  terrible  ones  of  Niagara  are  mere  child’s  play, 
you  would  certainly  become  rather  sceptical  of  prettily 
drawn  maps. 

On  most  of  the  maps  of  Brazil  one  saw  marked  to  the 
east  of  the  Araguaya,  in  the  Goyaz  Province,  an  immense 
range  with  no  less  a name  than  Cordilheira  Geral  la  Serra 
do  Estrondo  — or  “ General  Range  of  the  Mountains  of 
Noise.”  They  were  marked  as  the  most  prominent  range 
in  Brazil,  quite  as  high  as  the  Andes  of  Peru,  Bolivia,  and 
Chili;  whereas,  as  a matter  of  fact,  I was  told  on  good 
authority  that  they  were  mere  low  hills,  where  there  were 
any  hills  at  all. 

To  come  to  great  geographical  mistakes  which  came 
under  my  direct  observation,  I found  a very  palpable  one 
in  the  head-waters  of  the  Cuyaba  River,  which  had  their 
source  to  the  north  of  the  Serra  Azul  and  not  to  the  south, 
as  marked  on  many  maps,  including  the  Brazilian  official 
maps. 

We  had  to  our  left  the  Serra  das  Pedra  — “ Range 
of  Rocks  ” — an  extraordinarily  rocky  range,  which  was 
crossed  almost  at  right  angles  by  the  Chapadao  das 
Porcas.  We  marched  through  a wonderful  growth  of 
palmeiras,  some  of  the  palms  being  as  much  as  thirty  feet 

354 


KEBOH  IIILL-RANGE 


high.  Buritys  were  innumerable  along  a small  stream 

— the  Rio  Estivado  — flowing  southwest  into  the  Cubaya 
River.  There  were  great  quantities  of  mangabeira  trees. 
We  proceeded  northward  along  a chapada,  a capital 
Brazilian  name  which  denotes  a locality  that  is  neither  a 
forest  nor  a prairie.  The  chapada  had  scanty  trees  and 
scrub,  but  not  enough  to  make  it  into  a forest. 

We  were  marching  over  low  hills  with  surface  deposits 
of  sand  and  cinders.  We  gradually  reached  an  elevation 
of  1,050  feet  some  eighteen  kilometres  from  camp,  and 
shortly  after,  and  only  fifty  feet  lower,  entered  a refresh- 
ing grove  of  giant  palmeiras  and  buritys  along  the  Rio 
das  Boreas,  flowing  westward.  There,  north  of  the 
stream,  we  went  across  more  clean  campos,  1,700  metres 
wide,  bounded  to  the  north  by  the  thickly  wooded  hill- 
range  Keboh,  extending  before  us  from  east  to  west. 

We  crossed  this  range  in  the  centre,  during  a strong 
gale  from  the  southwest.  The  wind  cleared  the  sky,  that 
had  been  overcast  and  had  made  the  atmosphere  heavy. 
Again  that  afternoon,  when  the  wind  ceased,  I noticed  the 
peculiar  striations  in  the  sky  — not  in  straight  lines  that 
time,  but  in  great  and  most  regular  curves  converging  to 
the  west. 

The  valley  became  narrower  as  we  went  along.  Two 
twin,  conical  hills  ended  the  northern  extremity  of  the 
range  (southeast  to  northwest)  which  we  had  on  our  left 

— a great  mass  of  granite  blocks  in  the  centre  of  the  plain 
rising  higher  and  higher  into  regular  domes.  The  plain 
itself,  on  an  incline,  showed  two  swellings  of  great  mag- 
nitude, the  one  to  our  right  about  120  feet  higher  than  the 
plain,  the  elevation  of  which  was  1,000  feet.  On  the  west 
side  of  those  two  swellings  was  a confused  mass  of  huge 
blocks  of  granite,  of  all  sizes  and  shapes,  which  to  all 
appearances  had  been  shot  up  from  underneath  by  some 
internal  force.  They  were  outwardly  much  blackened  by 
the  action  of  fire,  but  internally  were  of  a grey  tint.  A 

355 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


little  farther  we  were  encircled  by  basaltic  columns  of 
great  height,  many  of  them  fractured,  forming  a fantastic 
sky-line.  Some  resembled  the  spires  of  a cathedral ; groups 
of  others  had  the  appearance  of  the  ruins  of  an  ancient  for- 
tress ; others  stood  up  like  giant  obelisks ; while  accumula- 
tions of  others  formed  more  or  less  regular  pyramids. 

After  leaving  that  strange  basin,  we  were  once  more 
travelling  across  patches  of  clean  chapada  and  dirty 
chapada,  according  to  the  soil  and  quantity  of  moisture; 
then  over  arid  campos  spreading  for  fifteen  kilometres 
without  one  single  drop  of  water. 

At  sundown,  after  having  gone  over  several  undula- 
tions varying  from  850  to  900  feet  above  the  sea  level, 
we  went  over  a hill  slightly  higher  — 950  feet  — with  a 
summit  of  ashes,  red  earth,  and  yellow,  lava  pellets,  as 
well  as  great  sheets  of  foliated  lava. 

Under  a most  wonderful  effect  of  light  to  the  west  — 
three  superposed  horizontal  bands  of  luminous  yellow, 
violet,  and  brilliant  vermilion,  over  the  deep  cobalt  moun- 
tain range  in  the  distance  — we  arrived,  my  men  being 
thirsty  and  tired,  at  a little  rivulet.  We  had  marched 
forty-two  kilometres  that  day. 

My  men  felt  the  cold  intensely  during  the  night;  the 
minimum  temperature  was  48°  Fahrenheit,  with  a high, 
cutting  wind.  Yet  we  were  at  a low  elevation,  merely 
750  feet  above  the  sea  level.  There  were,  as  usual,  moans 
and  groans  all  night,  more  toothache  and  rheumatic  pains 
and  aching  bones  in  the  morning.  The  discontent  among 
my  men  had  reached  a trying  point.  They  worried  me 
continuously  to  such  an  extent  — indeed,  as  never  in  my 
life  I had  been  worried  before  — that  I was  within  an  ace 
of  breaking  my  vow  of  never  losing  my  patience  and  calm. 
In  my  long  experience  of  exploring  I have  always  had  to 
deal  with  the  most  troublesome  types  of  men  imaginable, 
but  never  with  any  quite  so  unpleasant  as  those  I had  in 
Brazil. 


356 


ONE  MORE  MUTINY 


When,  the  next  morning,  I ordered  them  to  pack  the 
animals  in  order  to  proceed  on  our  journey,  there  was 
an  unpleasant  scene,  approaching  mutiny.  They  knocked 
things  about  and  refused  to  go  on.  Then  they  sat,  rifles 
in  hand,  a little  way  off,  grumbling  and  grunting,  with 
vicious  expressions  upon  their  faces.  They  were  going  to 
do  wonderful  things ; they  were  indeed ! I overheard  them. 
One  man  came  forward  — the  spokesman.  The  men 
claimed  their  money  up  to  date  since  the  last  payment  made 
to  them  — only  a fortnight  before.  They  all  wished  to  go. 

“ Certainly,”  was  my  immediate  reply.  Without  a 
moment’s  hesitation  they  were  each  handed  over  their  full 
pay,  and  without  giving  the  slightest  attention  to  them, 
Alcides,  who  had  remained  faithful,  and  I — poor  Filippe 
had  been  dragged  against  himself  into  the  plot  — collected 
all  the  animals  and  packed  them.  Without  one  look  or 
word,  as  if  they  had  not  existed,  I started  off  the  troop 
of  animals  and  got  on  my  saddle  to  depart  last.  With 
the  corner  of  my  eye  I kept  a watch  on  them,  as  with 
men  of  that  kind  the  chief  danger  was  when  you  had  your 
back  turned. 

I had  gone  only  a few  yards  when  I heard  some  one 
sobbing  behind  my  mule.  As  I turned  round,  the  two 
outstretched  hands  of  Filippe  were  handing  me  back  the 
sum  of  money  I had  paid  a few  moments  before.  He  was 
begging  me  to  keep  it  safely  for  him.  Then  two  more 
hands  urged  me  to  take  back  for  safe  keeping  the  wages 
they  had  just  received.  The  faces  of  the  owners  of  those 
hands  were  too  comic  for  words:  the  cheeks  shining  with 
abundant  tears  that  streamed  down,  the  eyes  red  and 
swollen,  the  mouths  stretched  in  nervous  strain  from  ear 
to  ear.  Behind  came  two  more  men,  looking  as  mournful 
as  if  they  were  being  led  to  execution. 

They  all  begged  to  be  re-employed.  I let  them  follow, 
on  foot,  for  several  kilometres  without  saying  a word, 
struggling  through  the  heavy  marching  painfully  and 

357 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


wading  chest-deep  across  the  streams.  We  crossed  the 
Riberao  Chabo  or  Guebo,  twenty-five  metres  wide  and 
three  feet  deep,  at  an  elevation  of  730  feet,  then  we  waded 
through  another  stream  flowing  south,  with  a zone  of  won- 
derful palmeiras  along  its  banks.  We  then  emerged  into 
a magnificent  plain  with  a barrier  of  low  hills  to  the  north- 
west. Six  kilometres  farther  we  waded  across  the 
Planchao  stream,  five  metres  wide  and  six  inches  deep. 
Marching  on  horseback  was  delightful,  the  maximum 
temperature  being  only  74°  Fahrenheit  in  the  shade. 
Another  stream,  flowing  from  north  to  south,  the  Plan- 
chaonzinho,  whose  foul  water  was  quite  disgusting  to 
drink,  although  beautifully  limpid,  was  then  negotiated. 

I was  delighted  at  meeting  with  so  many  streams,  for 
there  was  nothing  my  men  hated  more  than  to  get  into 
the  water.  They  felt  very  sorry  for  themselves,  to  be 
struggling  along  as  best  they  could,  following  the  animals 
like  humble  sheep  instead  of  being  comfortably  mounted 
on  quadrupeds.  W e travelled  a considerable  distance 
through  campos,  but  owing  to  some  baggage  which  had 
been  lost,  we  eventually  had  to  retrace  our  steps  as  far  as 
the  Planchaonzinho  River,  on  the  banks  of  which  we 
encamped.  This  was  unfortunate,  as  the  water  had  a 
sickening  flavour  and  made  even  our  coffee  and  tea  taste 
like  poison. 

Misfortunes  never  come  alone.  In  overhauling  my 
baggage  I discovered,  to  my  dismay,  that  my  men,  in 
order  to  force  me  to  go  back  the  way  we  had  come,  had 
gradually  thrown  away  most  of  the  provisions,  which 
should  have  lasted  us  some  six  to  seven  months  longer. 
We  had  only  sufficient  food  to  last  us  a few  days.  The 
men  confessed  their  misdeed.  The  country  provided 
absolutely  nothing  to  eat,  and  I had  to  face  the  problem 
of  either  dying  of  starvation  or  falling  back  on  some  place 
where  we  could  purchase  fresh  provisions.  It  was  out 
of  the  question,  unless  one  wished  to  commit  suicide  and 

358 


SHORTAGE  OF  FOOD 


a quintuple  murder,  to  endeavour  to  push  on  towards  my 
goal,  Manaos  on  the  Amazon,  some  1,600  kilometres 
distant  as  the  crow  flies,  or  at  least  4,000  to  5,000  kilo- 
metres travelling,  with  possible  deviations,  without  some 
of  which  it  was  not  possible  to  proceed.  We  could  cer- 
tainly not  fall  back  on  our  point  of  departure,  the  terminus 
of  the  railway  at  Araguary,  1,596  kilometres  distant;  nor 
on  Goyaz,  the  last  city  we  had  seen,  1,116  kilometres  away, 
so  that  the  only  way  to  escape  death  was  to  fall  back  on 
the  ancient  settlement  of  Diamantino,  the  farthest  village 
in  Central  Brazil,  a place  once  established  by  the  first 
Portuguese  settlers  of  Brazil  while  in  search  of  diamonds. 

Diamantino  was  practically  in  the  very  centre  of  the 
thicker  part  of  South  America,  without  counting  Pata- 
gonia. It  was  almost  equidistant  — roughly  speaking, 
some  2,560  kilometres  as  the  crow  flies  — from  Pernam- 
buco on  the  Atlantic  Coast  to  the  east,  Callao  (Lima) 
in  Peru  on  the  Pacific  Coast  to  the  west,  Georgetown  in 
British  Guiana  to  the  north,  and  Buenos  Aires  in  the 
Argentine  Republic.  Although  so  far  in  the  interior 
and  almost  inaccessible  from  the  north,  east,  and  west, 
Diamantino  could  be  reached  comparatively  easily  from 
the  south,  travelling  by  river  up  the  Parana,  Paraguay, 
and  the  Cuyaba  Rivers,  as  far  as  Rosario,  thence  by  trail 
to  Diamantino.  I had  heard  that  the  place  was  once 
flourishing,  but  had  since  become  almost  totally  aban- 
doned. I thought  that  perhaps  I might  be  able  to 
purchase  sufficient  provisions  to  get  along;  and,  hope 
being  one  of  my  everlasting  good  qualities,  I also  dreamt 
that  perhaps  I might  there  get  fresh  men. 

It  was  indeed  with  a bleeding  heart,  when  I had 
reached  a point  some  200  kilometres  north  of  the  Serra 
Azul,  that  I had  to  alter  my  course,  which  had  been 
practically  due  north,  into  a southwesterly  direction,  and 
endeavour  to  find  Diamantino.  My  men  were  delighted 
at  the  prospect  of  seeing  human  beings  again.  We  had 

359 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


met  no  one  for  some  weeks.  We  made  terrific  marches 
daily  in  order  to  reach  that  village  before  the  food  gave 
out  altogether. 

The  nights  were  cold,  47°  Fahrenheit  being  the  mini- 
mum at  our  camp  on  June  twenty-third. 

We  crossed  a small  range  of  hills  over  a pass  930  feet 
above  the  sea  level,  and  found  ourselves  in  a spacious 
cuvette  with  the  usual  central  line  of  buritys  and  thick 
vegetation  (elevation  9C0  feet).  Soaring  over  our  heads 
were  a number  of  gavido  caboclo  ( Hetorospidias  meridi- 
onalis) , a kind  of  falcon,  rending  the  air  with  their 
unmusical  shrieks. 

After  leaving  the  cuvette  we  began  to  ascend  the 
Estivado  Range,  very  steep  and  rocky.  Near  the 
summit  we  struggled  through  a field  of  great,  igneous 
boulders,  chiefly  upright  pillars  of  granite  and  white 
marble.  Upon  the  pass  (elevation  1,400  feet)  was  a cir- 
cular depression  some  300  metres  in  diameter,  perfectly 
flat-bottomed  and  grassy.  It  was  surrounded  by  cones 
eighty  to  a hundred  feet  high.  On  the  southeast  side  of 
the  range  — very  steep  — was  abundant  rock,  and  to  the 
northwest  side  was  a padding  of  brown  earth  on  a gentle 
incline  divided  into  terraces.  Here  and  there  pointed 
noses  of  volcanic  blocks,  similar  to  those  we  had  found 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  range,  showed  through.  We 
went  across  a depression  where  water,  dripping  down  the 
mountain-side,  had  remained  stagnant,  rendering  that  spot 
almost  impassable.  The  animals  sank  chest-deep  into 
slush,  crashing  through  the  thick  and  much-entangled 
growth  of  live  and  fallen  bamboos. 

More  campos,  fairly  wide,  were  found  beyond  this, 
and  great  stretches  of  foliated  slate  and  sandstone  in 
strata  turned  over  into  a vertical  position,  and  quantities 
of  debris.  Then  again  we  cut  our  way  through  a cool 
growth  of  bamboos,  handsome  palmeiras  and  akuri  palms ; 
after  which  we  emerged  into  campos  once  more,  rising 

360 


THE  LAGOON  OF  THE  DEER 


gradually  to  an  elevation  of  1,550  feet  upon  an  undulating 
terrace  of  the  second  section  of  the  Estivado  range. 

Pulling  and  pushing  the  mules  and  horses  over  a lot 
of  boulders  and  up  a steep  incline,  we  reached  the  highest 
point  of  the  range  on  our  route  — 1,800  feet  above  the 
sea  level.  Again  the  stratification  of  red  and  grey  rock 
in  layers  from  six  inches  to  a foot  thick,  standing  vertically, 
showed  what  a geological  commotion  there  must  have  been 
in  those  regions.  The  summit  of  the  range,  extending 
from  north  to  south,  appeared  like  the  teeth  of  a saw,  so 
broken  up  was  it  into  repeated  undulations.  On  the  west 
side  of  the  range  we  found  a gentle  slope  of  clear  campos 
with  merely  a few  stunted  trees  upon  them. 

Before  us  to  the  west  stood  high  the  level  sky-line  of 
a tableland,  showing  perfectly  straight,  parallel  strata  of 
rock  extending  all  along  its  face,  but  slightly  undulated 
near  the  summit  of  the  range.  Otherwise  its  grassy  slopes 
were  quite  undisturbed  in  their  virgin  smoothness. 

In  the  distance,  to  the  north  of  our  course,  was  a great 
lagoon  — the  Lagoa  dos  Veados,  “ Lagoon  of  the  Deer  ” 
— a most  important  point  in  South  America,  for  it  was 
there  that  the  great  Arinos  (Tapajoz)  River  rose.  The 
lagoon  — three  kilometres  long  and  less  than  a kilometre 
wide  — had  no  visible  outlet,  but  some  hundreds  of  metres 
away  a spring  came  out  of  the  earth,  forming  the  Rio 
Preto  (Black  River).  The  Rio  Preto,  soon  joined  by 
the  Rio  Novo,  which  we  had  seen  descending  from  the 
Serra  Azul,  formed  the  Arinos  River  and  could  certainly 
be  considered  the  head-waters  of  that  immense  tributary 
of  the  Amazon. 

A short  distance  south  of  Diamantino  were  the  Sete 
Lagoas,  or  Seven  Lakes  — as  a matter  of  fact,  they 
numbered  more  than  seven  — circular  pools  only  a few 
yards  in  diameter  but  extraordinarily  deep,  evidently  of 
volcanic  origin,  and  filled  with  water  at  a later  time. 
Around  their  edges  a remarkably  luxuriant  growth  of 

361 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


buritys  could  be  admired.  A great  valley  extending  south 
with  a central  ridge  could  be  distinguished.  On  it  was 
the  meeting-place  of  the  Rio  Diamantino  and  the  Rio  do 
Ouro  (River  of  Gold),  which,  with  the  Sete  Lagoas, 
formed  another  most  important  point  of  South  America, 
for  it  was  there  that  the  Great  Paraguay  or  Parana 
River  rose. 

It  was  thus  interesting  to  note  that  within  almost  a 
stone’s  throw  rose  two  of  the  most  powerful  rivers  of 
South  America,  one  flowing  due  north  into  the  Amazon, 
the  other  almost  due  south  as  far  as  Buenos  Aires  and 
Montevideo,  where  it  entered  the  Atlantic  Ocean. 

A great  confusion  is  made  on  most  maps  between  those 
lagoons  and  the  actual  birthplaces  of  those  important 
streams.  The  ancient  Jesuits  and  friars  had  a fair  idea 
of  geography.  I have  in  my  possession  a remarkable  work 
in  Italian  published  in  Rome  in  1698  by  Father  John 
Joseph  of  S.  Teresa  — a barefooted  Carmelite.  It  is  en- 
titled The  History  of  the  Wars  in  the  Kingdom  of  Brazil 
between  the  Crown  of  Portugal  and  the  Republic  of 
Holland.  The  book  contains  a number  of  extraordinary 
maps  of  Brazil.  Those  of  the  principal  harbours  give  a 
splendid  idea  of  the  places  represented.  The  coastline  of 
the  continent  is  indicated  with  fair  accuracy.  It  is  curious 
to  note  that  the  author  of  that  book  and  the  cartographer 
place  the  sources  of  the  Amazon  and  of  the  river  Plate 
in  the  same  spot,  as  descending  on  opposite  sides  of  a 
range  extending  from  east  to  west  — a range  which  does 
not  exist,  unless  it  was  intended  to  represent  the  Central 
Brazilian  plateau.  “ The  river  S.  Francisco,”  Father 
John  Joseph  goes  on  to  state,  “ has  also  its  birth  in  the 
spot  where  the  Amazon  is  born,  but  this  is  not  sure.”  The 
cartographer,  in  fact,  places  the  head- waters  of  that  river 
close  to  the  head-waters  of  the  Amazon,  and  makes  them 
flow  through  a large  lagoon  in  the  heart  of  Brazil,  evi- 
dently the  Great  “ Lagoa  dos  Veados  ” or  else  the  “ Sete 

362 


MATTO  GUOSSO  GIKL.  BRAZILIAN  CHILD. 

A mixture  of  Portuguese,  Indian,  and  negro  blood.  A mixture  of  Portuguese  and  negro. 


A LARGE  FOREST 


Lagoas  ” to  which  reference  has  previously  been  made  in 
this  chapter.  “ The  Rio  Grande  (Rio  Parana,  Para- 
guay), one  of  the  most  celebrated  in  Brazil,”  proceeds  the 
Carmelite  Father,  “ is  born  already  swollen  by  plentiful 
waters  (sic)  in  the  interior  of  terra  firma!  Near  its 
sources  it  forms  a lagoon  twenty  leagues  in  circumference.” 
All  this  is,  of  course,  geographically  wrong.  The  Rio  S. 
Francisco  has  its  birth  far  to  the  southeast,  in  Minas 
Geraes,  some  hundreds  of  kilometres  distant  from  that 
lagoon  and  several  thousand  from  the  real  source  of  the 
Amazon. 

Also  the  friar  must  have  mistaken,  evidently  from 
information  received,  the  sources  of  the  Arinos  for  the 
sources  of  the  Amazon,  which  are  really  located  some  15° 
of  longitude  west.  It  is  nevertheless  curious  that  so  far 
back  as  1698  the  existence  of  the  lagoon  should  be  known 
at  all  — perhaps  they  had  heard  of  it  from  the  adven- 
turous Paulista  Bandeirantes  — and  that  they  should 
have  placed  it  nearly  in  its  proper  latitude  and  longitude 
on  their  maps.  Apparently  Father  John  Joseph  was 
not  aware  of  the  existence  of  the  Great  Araguaya  and 
Ningu  Rivers.  Having  compiled  his  map  from  infor- 
mation, he  confused  those  rivers  with  the  S.  Francisco 
River. 

Upon  descending  from  the  Serra  into  the  valley  we 
soon  came  to  a large  forest  with  a luxuriant  edge  of 
peroba  (a  word  originating,  I believe,  from  the  words  ipe 
and  roba  in  the  Tupi  language),  which  was  known  in  four 
different  varieties:  viz.  the  peroba  amarella  (yellow), 
par  da  (brown),  revessa  (knotty),  and  rosa  (rose- 
coloured),  technically  named:  Aspidosperma  polyneuron 
M.  Arg.,  Aspidosperma  leucomelum  Warmg.,  Aspido- 
sperma sp.,  Aspidosperma  dasycarpon  A. 

Then  there  were  also  plentiful  garabu  and  other  tall 
trees.  Before  getting  to  the  edge  of  the  forest  I noticed 
among  the  rocks  some  beautiful  specimens  of  the  apita 

S63 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


cactus,  ten  feet  and  more  in  height,  in  appearance  not 
unlike  giant  artichokes. 

Near  its  beginning,  where  it  was  three  metres  wide  and 
six  inches  deep,  we  crossed  the  Estivado  River,  which,  with 
a group  of  other  streamlets,  may  share  the  honour  of  being 
one  of  the  sources  of  the  Arinos.  It  flowed  in  a north- 
westerly direction. 

We  were  pushing  on  for  all  we  were  worth,  for  we  had 
come  to  the  end  of  our  food.  Up  and  down  we  went  over 
a troublesome  series  of  great,  elongated  ridges,  like 
parallel  dunes,  the  highest  elevation  on  them  being  2,050 
feet,  the  depressions  1,950  feet.  We  came  to  a sweetly 
pretty  streamlet,  the  Mollah,  flowing  north  into  the 
Paraguay  River,  and  shortly  afterwards  to  the  Caitte 
and  the  Corisho  (elevation  1,500  feet).  They  were  the 
three  real  and  true  sources  of  the  Paraguay,  within  a 
short  distance  of  the  Seven  Lakes. 

We  had  marched  fifty  kilometres  that  day  over  rough 
country.  My  animals  were  quite  exhausted.  Yet  early 
next  morning  we  pushed  on  once  more  over  transverse 
undulations  and  across  grassy  cuvettes , slightly  conical, 
with  circular  pools  of  water  in  the  centre  and  a florid 
growth  of  bamboos  in  the  lowest  point  of  the  cuvettes. 
We  ascended  over  more  dvke-like  obstructions  on  our  way 
(elevation  1,700  feet)  and  descended  once  more  into  a 
vast  basin  of  campos  with  stunted  trees.  At  its  lowest 
point  there  was  from  northeast  to  southwest  a line  of 
magnificent  tall  trees.  The  forest  was  so  dense  there  that 
when  we  entered  it  we  were  quite  in  the  dark,  as  if  going 
through  a tunnel.  There  were  fine  specimens  of  various 
kinds  of  the  jua  or  juaz  or  jurubeba  (solanum),  a me- 
dicinal plant  five  to  six  feet  high  with  enormous,  dentate 
leaves,  and  shaped  not  unlike  a vine  leaf,  possessing  up- 
right spikes  on  their  dorsal  or  midrib  and  on  the  veins  of 
the  leaf. 

Then  there  was  plentiful cepa  de  pappo ” a common 

364 


THE  DOGS  SUFFER 


liane  like  a huge  boa-constrictor  winding  its  way  in  a 
spiral  up  the  tallest  trees.  I saw  some  of  those  liane  three 
inches  in  diameter,  with  a smooth,  whitish  bark. 

The  soil  at  the  bottom  of  the  valley  (1,500  feet  above 
sea  level)  was  mostly  composed  of  cinders,  but  up  the 
slopes  white  sand  was  predominant,  mixed  with  ashes. 
We  travelled  over  a lava  flow  which  formed  the  bed  of  the 
river  Macucu,  flowing  eastward.  Guided  by  the  noise, 
we  found  a most  beautiful  waterfall,  100  feet  high,  over 
an  extinct,  circular  crater  with  vertical  walls.  We  kept 
on  rising  over  a gentle  incline,  and  having  reached  an 
elevation  of  1,750  feet,  we  found  ourselves  suddenly  on 
the  upper  edge  of  a great,  crescent-shaped  depression 
extending  in  a semicircle  from  northeast  to  southwest.  Its 
walls  were  one-tiered  to  the  west,  with  a flat  tableland  on 
their  summit,  but  were  divided  into  two  terraces  in  the 
northern  part,  where  ranges  of  hills  rose  on  the  plateau. 

We  had  a rapid,  steep  descent  among  great,  rect- 
angular blocks  of  conglomerate  (white  marble  pebbles 
embedded  in  iron  rock),  great  sheets  of  lava,  and  sedi- 
ments of  red  earth,  solidified  in  places  into  half-formed 
rock.  I noticed  extensive  lava  flows  which  had  run 
towards  the  west ; then  we  came  upon  extraordinary 
quantities  of  loose,  white  marble  pebbles  and  chips.  We 
made  our  way  down  upon  a kind  of  spur  of  red  lava, 
frightfully  slippery  for  my  animals.  The  poor  beasts 
were  quite  worn  out  with  fatigue. 

From  the  round  dome  of  the  headland  we  perceived 
to  the  south  a second  great  circle  of  flat-topped  heights. 
The  immense  flow  of  red  lava  on  which  we  were  radiated 
terrific  heat,  which  it  had  absorbed  from  the  sun’s  rays. 
My  dogs,  being  nearer  the  ground  than  we  were,  had 
great  difficulty  in  breathing.  Their  heads  and  tails  hung 
low,  and  their  tongues  dangled  fully  out  of  their  mouths. 
They  stumbled  along,  panting  pitifully.  Even  we,  on 
our  mounts,  felt  nearly  suffocated  by  the  stifling  heat  from 

365 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


the  sun  above  and  the  lava  below.  The  dogs  were  amusing 
enough,  curling  down  quickly  to  rest  wherever  a mangy 
shrub  gave  the  slightest  suspicion  of  a shade.  The  men, 
more  stupid  always  than  beasts,  were  sweating  and  swear- 
ing freely,  and  thumped  mercilessly  on  the  rumps  of  the 
tired  animals  with  the  butts  and  muzzles  of  their  rifles, 
in  order  to  urge  them  along. 

The  very  sound  of  the  mules’  neck-bells  seemed  tired 
and  worn;  its  brisk  tinkling  of  our  days  of  vigour  had 
given  room  to  a monotonous  and  feeble,  almost  dead,  ding 
. . . dong,  at  long  intervals,  well  suggesting  the  ex- 
haustion of  the  poor  animals,  which  were  just  able  to  drag 
along.  The  slightest  obstacle  — a loose  stone,  a step  in 
the  lava  and  first  one  animal,  then  another,  would  collapse 
and  roll  down,  and  we  had  to  dismount  and  help  them  up 
on  their  feet  again  — quite  a hard  job,  I can  tell  you, 
when  the  animals  were  nearly  dead  and  would  not  get 
up  again. 

As  we  went  along,  more  and  more  headlands  of  the 
great  plateau  appeared  before  us  to  the  west.  We  still 
went  on  descending  on  the  top  of  the  long  spur  of  lava. 
When  not  too  busy  with  our  animals,  and  quite  out  of 
breath  with  the  heat  and  stifling  air  from  the  heated  rock, 
I sometimes  glanced  at  the  glorious  panorama  on  both 
sides  of  us.  When  we  had  proceeded  farther  I ascertained 
that  there  were  really  two  crescents  contained  side  by  side 
within  a larger  crescent.  Under  us  to  the  south  a vast, 
undulating  plain  stretched  as  far  as  the  eye  could  see 
toward  the  southwest  and  west.  On  describing  a revolu- 
tion upon  your  heels  your  eye  met  the  other  end  of  the 
larger  crescent  plateau  to  the  northwest.  The  Serra  do 
Tombador  extended  in  a southwesterly  direction  from 
north  of  Diamantino  to  S.  Luiz  de  Caceres,  to  the  west  of 
the  Paraguay  River.  The  height  of  the  spur  on  which 
we  were  was  1,350  feet  above  the  sea  level. 

We  had  come  in  a great  circle  on  the  upper  edge. 

366 


HIGH  PRICE  OF  LIVING 


A trail  could  be  seen  crossing  the  great  undulating  valley 
below  us.  It  passed  at  the  western  terminus  of  the  spur 
we  were  on.  Evidently  that  was  the  trail  connecting 
Diamantino  with  Cuyaba  (the  capital  of  Matto  Grosso) 
via  Rosario.  The  sight  of  a trail  was  most  exhilarating  to 
my  men.  Suddenly  and  quite  unexpectedly  we  came  upon 
a few  wretched,  tumble-down  houses,  if  one  may  call  them 
so,  smothered  in  vegetation  which  grew  everywhere.  My 
animals  themselves  seemed  astonished  at  the  unusual  sight. 
The  horses  neighed  and  the  mules  brayed  loudly.  Ma- 
sonry work  perhaps  suggested  to  them  more  substantial 
meals.  Down  a precipitous  ravine,  over  large  boulders 
and  stumbling  into  big  holes,  into  which  the  mules  dis- 
appeared for  a few  seconds  at  a time  . . . we  found 
ourselves  in  the  main  street  of  Diamantino. 

The  village  — the  local  people  called  it  “ a city  ” — - 
was  the  very  picture  of  misery,  yet  to  us  it  seemed  as  if 
we  had  dropped  into  the  middle  of  London  or  Paris. 
There  were  a few  resident  traders,  two  or  three  Bra- 
zilians, two  Italians,  and  a Turk.  All  were  most  hos- 
pitable and  kind.  The  chief  industry  of  the  place  was 
rubber,  which  found  its  way  to  the  coast  via  the  Paraguay 
River. 

Formerly  Diamantino  was  a flourishing  place  because 
diamonds  were  found  in  abundance.  Even  now  they  can 
be  found  along  the  river,  but  the  difficulty  of  access,  even 
by  the  easiest  way,  and  the  great  expense  of  living  there 
have  gradually  depopulated  the  place,  which  was  quite  in 
an  abandoned  state  when  I was  there. 

Here  are  some  of  the  minimum  prices  which  the 
rubber  collectors  had  to  pay  for  articles  of  necessity: 
Beans,  Is.  6d.  to  2s.  per  litre,1  or  about  4s.  a pound ; rice, 
2s.  per  litre;  flour,  Is.  4d.  per  litre,  about  4s.  a pound; 
sugar,  5s.  per  kilo  (2  pounds),  raj>adura,  or  sugar  block, 
4s.  per  small  cake;  tobacco,  5s.  per  metre  of  twist;  salt, 

1 A litre  is  a cube  the  sides  of  which  are  3f  inches. 

367 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


2s.  8 d.  to  3s.  per  litre ; coffee,  6s.  6 d.  per  kilo ; lard,  6s.  6d. 
per  kilo;  purified  lard  in  tins,  16s.  to  20s.  per  2 kilos. 
Bars  of  the  commonest  laundry  soap,  4s.  each  bar; 
chickens,  10s.  to  15s.  each;  eggs,  10s.  to  12s.  a dozen; 
small  tins  of  sardines  (containing  five  sardines)  of  the 
most  inferior  kind,  10s.  to  15s.  a tin;  a one-pound  tin  of 
the  commonest  French  salt  butter,  15s. 

A genial  banquet  was  offered  me  on  my  arrival.  The 
schoolmistress  was  set  to  prepare  an  excellent  and  plenti- 
ful meal.  The  mayor  and  all  the  notabilities  of  the  place 
in  their  Sunday  clothing  came  to  fetch  me  at  the  house  of 
the  firm  of  Orlando  Brothers,  where  I had  been  most  hos- 
pitably sheltered,  and  where  I had  been  requested  to  wait 
for  them.  At  the  appointed  time  they  arrived  — in  frock 
coats,  and  each  carrying  an  umbrella. 

“ Is  it  raining?  ” I inquired  in  my  astonishment,  at 
seeing  the  array  of  articles  which  I had  not  seen  for  several 
months,  especially  as  a few  minutes  before  I had  been 
outside  and  it  was  a lovely  starlit  night. 

“ Oh,  no,  indeed,  it  is  not  raining;  we  carry  the  um- 
brellas in  due  honour  to  you!  ” they  replied  in  a chorus, 
accompanied  by  a grand  bow. 

This  was  such  an  extraordinary  compliment  that  it 
really  took  me  some  time  before  I could  grasp  the  meaning 
of  it.  It  seemed  that  according  to  the  social  rules  of 
Diamantino,  Matto  Grosso,  no  one  could  be  considered 
fully  dressed  unless  carrying  an  umbrella.  Rain  or  shine, 
the  people  of  Diamantino  carried  their  umbrellas  on  grand 
occasions. 

After  that  one  of  the  gentlemen  pulled  out  of  his 
pocket  a long  slip  of  paper  and  proceeded  to  read  a speech 
of  welcome.  I answered  in  a few  humble  words.  An- 
other gentleman  — there  were  eight  altogether  — pro- 
duced another  slip,  which  he  duly  read  in  a sonorous  voice. 
Again  I replied  as  best  I could.  Then,  as  I was  getting 
really  anxious  lest  some  one  else  should  be  speechifying 

368 


ASTRONOMICAL  OBSERVATIONS 


again,  the  mayor  of  the  place  offered  me  his  arm,  and 
followed  in  a most  respectful  manner  by  the  others,  we 
adjourned  to  the  schoolroom,  where  the  feast  was  spread 
upon  the  table. 

More  speeches  when  we  entered  the  room,  more 
speeches  before  we  sat  down,  speeches  in  the  middle  of 
dinner,  speeches  after  dinner.  Unaware  of  what  was 
coming,  I had  exhausted  all  the  compliments  I could  think 
of  in  my  first  speech,  and  I had  to  tax  my  poor  brain 
considerably  to  reply  with  grace  — especially  as  I had  to 
speak  in  Portuguese  — to  the  many  charming  things 
which  my  thoughtful  hosts  said.  The  banquet  went 
off  well.  It  is  difficult  to  imagine  more  consider- 
rate,  kindly  people  than  those  exiles  in  that  far-away 
spot. 

I took  careful  and  repeated  astronomical  observations 
for  latitude  and  longitude  in  order  to  establish  the  exact 
position  of  that  settlement.  Latitude  14°  21.7'  south; 
longitude  56°  56'  west.  I purchased  all  the  food  I could 
possibly  collect  — enough  to  last  us  some  six  months, 
which  cost  me  a small  fortune  — as  I intended  to  push  out 
of  the  place  and  proceed  northward  at  once. 

Four  of  my  men  became  badly  intoxicated  upon  our 
arrival.  There  was  another  mutiny.  They  again  claimed 
their  pay  up  to  date  and  wished  to  leave  me.  At  once 
they  received  their  money.  It  was  such  a relief  to  me 
when  they  went  off,  even  for  a few  hours,  that  I was 
always  glad  to  give  them  the  money  and  have  a short 
mental  rest  while  they  kept  away.  Unfortunately  it  was 
impossible  to  obtain  a single  extra  man  in  Diamantino. 
Labour  was  scarce,  and  the  few  labourers  in  existence  were 
in  absolute  slavery.  Indeed,  slavery  existed  — it  exists 
to-day  — in  all  Central  Brazil,  just  as  it  did  before  slavery 
was  abolished.  Only  in  the  old  days  of  legal  slavery  it 
was  limited  to  negroes;  now  the  slaves  are  negroes, 
mulattoes,  white  people,  even  some  Europeans.  I have 

Vol.  I.  — 24  3 69 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


seen  with  my  own  eyes  a German  gentleman  of  refinement 
in  that  humble  condition. 

In  the  present  condition  of  things  the  slave,  in  the  first 
instance,  sells  himself  or  is  sold  by  his  family.  There 
were  indeed  few,  if  any,  of  the  labouring  classes  in  Matto 
Grosso  and  Goyaz  provinces  who  were  free  men  or  women. 
All  were  owned  by  somebody,  and  if  you  wished  to  employ 
them,  especially  to  take  them  away  from  a village  or  a 
city,  you  had  to  purchase  them  from  their  owners.  That 
meant  that  if  you  intended  to  employ  a man,  even  for  a 
few  days,  you  had  to  disburse  a purchase  sum  equivalent 
to  two  or  three  hundred  pounds  sterling,  sometimes  more. 
In  the  following  way  it  was  made  impossible  for  the  slaves 
to  become  free  again.  Taking  advantage  of  the  poverty 
and  vanity  of  those  people,  loans  of  money  were  offered 
them  in  the  first  instance,  and  also  luxuries  in  the  way  of 
tinned  food,  clothing,  revolvers,  and  rifles.  When  once 
they  had  accepted,  and  could  not  repay  the  sum  or  value 
of  the  articles  received,  they  became  the  property  of  the 
lender,  who  took  good  care  to  increase  the  debt  constantly 
by  supplying  cheap  articles  to  them  at  fifty  times  their 
actual  cost.  The  seringueiro , or  rubber  collector,  had  a 
caderneta,  or  booklet,  and  the  master  a livro  maestro,  or 
account  book,  in  which  often  double  the  quantity  of 
articles  actually  received  by  the  rubber  collector  were 
entered.  The  debt  thus  increased  by  leaps  and  bounds, 
and  in  a short  time  a labourer  owed  his  master  two  or  three 
hundred  pounds.  The  rubber  collectors  tried  hard  to 
repay  the  debt  in  rubber,  which  they  sold  to  their  masters 
at  a low  rate;  but  it  was  always  easy  for  the  masters  to 
keep  the  men  in  debt. 

It  must  be  said  for  the  masters  that  their  slaves  were 
not  in  any  way  ill-treated ; on  the  contrary  — except  that 
a man  was  seldom  given  the  slightest  chance  of  redeeming 
himself  — they  were  indeed  treated  as  well  as  circum- 
stances permitted.  Labour,  it  must  be  remembered,  was 

370 


AN  AMUSING  PLOT 


so  scarce  and  valuable  — it  was  almost  an  impossibility  to 
obtain  labour  in  Central  Brazil  — that  it  was  the  care  of 
the  master  not  to  lose  a labourer. 

Much  is  to  be  said  for  the  honour  of  even  the  worst 
types  of  Brazilians.  Although  many  of  them  would  not 
think  twice  of  murdering  or  robbing  a stranger  of  all  he 
possessed,  they  were  seldom  known  to  defraud  their 
owners  by  escaping.  A man  who  ran  away  from  his  owner 
was  looked  down  upon  by  the  entire  community.  Again, 
it  must  be  stated  that  the  chances  of  escape,  in  those 
distant  regions,  were  indeed  very  remote.  An  escaped 
slave  with  no  money  could  not  go  very  far,  and  he  would 
soon  die  of  starvation. 

I must  confess  that,  although  I tried  hard  to  discover 
a way  by  which  labour  could  be  obtained  and  retained 
in  Brazil  with  the  existing  laws,  I could  not  find 
one  practicable  except  that  used  by  the  Brazilians,  viz. 
slavery. 

The  people  of  Diamantino  tried  hard  to  induce  one  or 
two  men  to  accompany  me,  and  I was  willing  to  buy  them 
out  and  eventually  would  have  set  them  free  altogether  at 
the  end  of  the  expedition,  but  they  were  all  so  terrified  of 
the  Indians  if  they  left  the  “ city  ” that  they  preferred 
to  remain  slaves. 

Alcides  had  gone  round  to  look  for  a barber.  There 
was  only  one  in  Diamantino,  and  he  was  in  prison  for  the 
murder  of  his  wife,  or  for  some  other  such  trifling  matter. 
Armed  with  a pair  of  my  scissors,  Alcides  went  to  the 
prison  to  have  his  hair  cut.  Once  there  he  took  the 
opportunity  to  explain  to  the  prisoner  that  it  could  be 
arranged  to  procure  his  escape,  if  he  were  willing  to  join 
the  expedition.  The  barber,  who  had  not  inquired  which 
way  we  should  be  travelling,  jumped  at  the  idea.  This 
necessitated  having  my  hair  cut  too  — rather  a trial  with 
scissors  that  did  not  cut  — in  order  to  arrange  matters 
further  in  detail.  With  a special  permission  from  the 

371 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


local  authorities,  the  barber  was  let  out  accompanied  by 
two  policemen,  the  only  two  in  the  place,  in  order  that  he 
might  reduce  mjr  hair  by  half  its  length  or  more. 

While  I underwent  actual  torture  in  having  my  hair 
clipped,  as  the  prisoner’s  hands  were  trembling  with 
excitement,  and  my  ears  had  various  narrow  escapes, 
Alcides,  who,  when  he  wished,  had  very  persuasive  man- 
ners, induced  not  only  the  prisoner,  but  the  two  policemen 
— all  three  — to  escape  and  join  the  expedition.  I must 
say  that  I did  not  at  all  look  forward  to  the  prospect  of 
my  three  new  companions;  but  we  were  in  terrible  want 
of  hands.  I had  visions  that  my  expedition  would  be 
entirely  wrecked.  There  was  a limit  to  human  endurance, 
and  we  could  not  perform  miracles.  We  still  had  thou- 
sands of  kilometres  to  travel  over  most  difficult  and  dan- 
gerous country.  Besides,  I reflected,  after  all,  I might 
only  be  performing  an  act  of  kindness  by  relieving  the 
town  of  the  expense  and  trouble  of  keeping  its  only 
prisoner,  not  to  speak  of  the  police  force. 

All  was  satisfactorily  arranged,  when  the  prisoner 
inquired  where  we  were  going.  You  should  have  seen  his 
face  when  I told  him. 

“ No,  no,  no!  ” he  quickly  replied.  “ No,  no,  no,  no!  ” 
and  he  waved  my  scissors  in  the  air.  “ I will  not  come ! 
I will  remain  in  prison  all  my  life  rather  than  be  eaten  up 
by  cannibals!  No,  no,  no,  no  . . . no,  no,  no,  no  ...  !” 
he  went  on  muttering  at  intervals,  as  he  gave  the  last 
clipping  touches  to  my  hair.  He  hastened  through  his  job, 
received  his  pay  in  silence,  and  asked  the  policemen  to 
take  him  back  quickly  to  the  prison.  When  the  chains, 
which  had  temporarily  been  removed,  were  put  again 
around  his  wrists,  he  departed,  shaking  his  head  and 
muttering  again  — “ No,  no,  no,  no  . . .!  ” 

The  wise  policemen,  too,  said  that  naturally,  as  their 
prisoner  would  not  escape,  they  were  obliged  to  remain 
and  keep  guard  over  him  ...  it  was  not  through  lack  of 

372 


SECRET  OF  SUCCESSFUL  TRAVELLING 


courage  that  they  would  not  come ; it  was  because  of  their 
duty ! 

Of  course,  Alcides  was  sadly  disappointed,  but  I was 
delighted,  when  it  all  fell  through. 

I owe  the  success  of  my  expeditions  to  the  fact  that, 
no  matter  what  happens,  I never  will  stop  anywhere.  It  is 
quite  fatal,  on  expeditions  of  that  kind,  to  stop  for  any 
length  of  time.  If  you  do,  the  fatigue,  the  worry,  and 
illness  make  it  generally  impossible  to  start  again  — all 
things  which  you  do  not  feel  quite  so  much,  as  long  as 
you  can  keep  moving.  Many  a disaster  in  exploring 
expeditions  could  easily  have  been  avoided,  had  the  people 
known  this  secret  of  successful  travelling.  Push  on  at  all 
costs  — until,  of  course,  you  are  actually  dead. 

With  my  reduced  party  of  two  men  (Alcides  and 
Filippe)  I had  to  arrange  matters  differently,  and  decided 
to  abandon  part  of  my  baggage,  all  things,  in  fact, 
which  were  not  absolutely  necessary,  taking  only  food, 
instruments  for  scientific  observations,  cameras,  and  pho- 
tographic plates. 

Alcides  and  Filippe,  who  by  then  had  become  most 
adventurous,  and  I were  about  to  start  on  July  first,  and 
were  making  things  ready,  when  two  of  my  deserters 
returned  and  begged  me  to  take  them  along  again.  They 
had  found  living  at  their  own  cost  rather  expensive,  and 
had  realized  that  it  would  have  been  an  impossibility  for 
them  to  get  out  of  that  place  again  with  the  funds  at  their 
disposal.  Each  meal  had  cost  them  a small  fortune. 
Animals  were  extremely  expensive,  and  it  was  then  the 
wrong  season  for  launches  to  come  up  the  river  as  far  as 
Rosario,  the  nearest  port  to  the  south. 

“ We  will  come  with  you,”  said  they,  in  a sudden  out- 
burst of  devotion.  “ We  will  come.  We  are  brave  men. 
You  have  always  been  good  and  generous  to  us.  We  are 
sorry  for  what  we  have  done.  Order  us  and  we  will  kill 
anybody  you  like  for  you!  ” 


373 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


Brazilians  of  that  class  have  only  one  idea  in  their 
heads  — killing,  killing,  killing! 

That  was  more  devotion  than  I demanded.  In  order 
to  spare  Alcides  and  Filippe  and  myself,  as  the  work 
thrown  upon  us  would  have  indeed  been  beyond  our 
possible  strength,  I re-employed  the  two  men  on  the 
express  condition  that  they  should  murder  no  one  while 
they  were  with  me. 

At  noon  of  July  first,  accompanied  by  a mounted 
escort  of  honour  of  the  leading  citizens  with  the  Mayor  at 
their  head,  I left  Diamantino  (elevation  1,030  feet), 
travelling  northeast.  We  ascended  to  the  summit  of  a 
tableland,  the  first  terrace  of  which  was  at  an  elevation  of 
1,250  feet,  the  higher  at  1,600  feet.  The  last  words  I 
had  heard  from  a venerable  old  man  as  I rode  out  of 
Diamantino  still  rang  in  my  ears. 

“ You  are  going  to  sure  death  — good-bye!  . . On 
reaching  the  top  of  the  plateau  the  courteous  friends  who 
had  accompanied  me  also  bade  me  an  affectionate  farewell. 
I could  see  by  their  faces  and  their  manner  that  they  were 
saying  good-bye  to  one  they  believed  a doomed  man. 

“ If  by  chance  you  come  out  alive,”  said  the  Mayor, 
in  a tentative  way,  “ we  should  like  to  have  news  of 
you.” 

On  dismal  occasions  of  that  kind  the  sky  is  always 
gloomy  and  black,  and  there  is  always  drizzling  rain.  So 
that  day,  too,  the  weather  did  not  fail  to  add  to  our 
depressed  spirits. 

On  leaving  our  friends  we  started  to  plunge  once  more 
into  the  unknown.  On  reaching  the  top  edge  of  the 
plateau  we  witnessed  a wonderful  sight,  rendered  more 
poetic  by  the  slight  vagueness  of  a veil  of  mist.  To  the 
south  of  Diamantino  was  the  Serra  Tombador,  extending 
as  far  as  S.  Luiz  de  Caceres,  about  250  kilometres,  as  the 
crow  flies,  to  the  southwest.  Then  below  us  was  the  Lagoa 
dos  Veados  with  no  outlet,  and  close  by  the  head- waters 

374 


THE  SYPHONIA  ELASTICA 


of  the  Rio  Preto  (a  tributary  of  the  Arinos).  The  Serra 
do  Tombador  was  parallel  nearly  all  along  with  the  river 
Paraguay. 

Because  of  departing  so  late  in  the  day  from  Diaman- 
tino,  and  the  time  we  had  wasted  on  the  way  with  social 
compliments,  we  were  able  to  go  only  twelve  kilometres 
that  afternoon.  We  halted  near  the  shed  of  a seringueiro 
(rubber  collector),  at  an  elevation  of  1,530  feet,  close  to 
the  Chapesa,  a streamlet  flowing  into  the  Agua  Fria  (cold 
water),  which  in  its  turn  threw  itself  into  the  Rio  Preto. 

It  was  muggy  and  warm  during  the  night  — minimum 
65°  Fahrenheit  — with  swarms  of  mosquitoes.  We  were 
glad  to  leave  the  next  morning,  following  a northwesterly 
course  across  a wonderfully  beautiful  meadow,  with  cir- 
cular groups  of  trees  and  a long  belt  of  vegetation  along 
the  stream.  It  was  then  that  I made  my  first  acquaintance 
in  Brazil  with  the  seringueira  ( Syphonia  elastica  or  Hevea 
brasiliensis) , which  was  fairly  plentiful  in  that  region.  As 
we  shall  see,  that  rubber  tree,  producing  the  best  rubber 
known,  became  more  and  more  common  as  we  proceeded 
north. 

In  the  cuts  of  rivers,  soft,  red,  volcanic  rock  was  ex- 
posed, with  a surface  layer  of  white  sand  and  grey  ashes 
in  the  flat  meadow.  The  padding  of  earth  was  thin. 
Except  close  to  rivers  and  in  extinct  craters  where  the 
accumulations  of  earth  and  cinders  were  often  deeper  with 
a good  supply  of  moisture  from  underneath,  the  trees  were 
feeble  and  aneemic.  There  again  I was  amazed  to  find 
how  unstable  and  weak  most  trees  were.  One  could  knock 
them  down  with  a mere  hard  push  — as  the  roots  had  no 
hold  in  the  ground,  where  they  spread  horizontally  almost 
on  the  surface,  owing  to  the  rock  underneath  which  pre- 
vented their  penetrating  farther  than  the  thin  upper  layer 
of  earth,  sand,  and  ashes.  If  you  happened  to  lean  against 
a tree  four  or  five  inches  in  diameter,  it  was  not  uncommon 
to  have  the  tree  tumble  down  and  you,  too.  The  wood  also 

375 


ACROSS  UNKNOWN  SOUTH  AMERICA 

of  those  trees  was  very  brittle  and  watery,  with  no  power 
of  resistance  worth  mentioning. 

Many  were  the  streamlets  which  flowed  into  the  Rio 
Preto  at  elevations  from  1,450  to  1,500  feet,  viz.  the 
Burity  Comprido,  the  Bujui,  the  Grinko,  the  Pomba,  the 
Corgo  do  Campo,  the  Riberao  Grande,  and  the  Stiva. 
Many  of  those  streamlets  had  beautiful  beds  of  white 
marble  pebbles,  which  made  their  cool  and  clear  water 
look  and  taste  perfectly  delicious.  Others,  with  soft,  black 
mud  bottoms,  especially  in  cuvettes,  were  extremely 
troublesome  to  cross. 

On  the  banks  of  those  streams  were  marvellous 
pacobeira  palms  — a kind  of  giant  banana  palm,  attaining 
a height  of  thirty  to  forty  feet,  with  a stem,  ovoid  in  section, 
of  great  length,  and  from  which  shot  out  paddle-like 
leaves  of  immense  size  and  of  a gorgeous  green,  six  to  seven 
feet  long  and  three  feet  wide. 

On  July  third  we  went  through  thick,  dirty,  low  scrub 
and  forest,  except  along  streams,  the  banks  of  which  were 
lined  with  tall,  anaemic  trees  an  inch  in  diameter  with  a 
mere  bunch  of  leaves  from  branches  at  the  summit.  We 
again  met  with  several  cuvettes,  very  grassy,  with  the 
usual  florid  growth  of  trees  in  the  centre.  Those  de- 
pressions were  1,400  feet  above  the  sea  level.  From  many 
of  the  trees  hung  huge  globes,  like  tumours.  They  were 
nests  of  cupim,  the  destructive  white  ants  ( termes  album ) , 
of  which  there  were  swarms  everywhere  in  that  region.  In 
one  night  they  ate  up  the  bottoms  of  most  of  my  wooden 
boxes  and  rendered  many  of  our  possessions  useless. 
They  ate  up  our  clothes,  injured  our  saddles  by  eating  the 
stitching;  anything  that  was  not  of  metal,  glass,  or 
polished  leather  was  destroyed  by  those  little  devils. 

We  were  beginning  to  descend  gradually  on  the 
northern  side  of  the  tableland.  After  crossing  a pass  1,350 
feet  above  the  sea  level  we  arrived  on  a lagoon  to  our  left. 
Shortly  after  we  reached  the  left  bank  of  the  Arinos 

376 


THE  RIVER  ARINOS 


River,  separated  there  from  the  lagoon  by  a narrow 
tongue  of  high  land,  some  thirty  feet  high,  between  the  two 
waters. 

It  was  thus  that  on  July  fourth  we  encamped  on  that 
great  tributary  of  the  Amazon.  We  were  still  thousands 
of  kilometres  away  from  its  mouth.  My  animals  were 
quite  exhausted  and  were  unable  to  continue.  Moreover, 
the  forest  near  this  great  river,  already,  so  near  its  birth- 
place, over  100  metres  wide,  would  have  made  their  com- 
ing along  quite  impossible,  as  the  grazing  was  getting 
scarce,  and  would  be  scarcer  still  as  we  went  on  north. 
Then,  as  the  river  Arinos  took  me  in  the  direction  in 
which  I intended  to  travel,  I had  made  up  my  mind  to 
abandon  the  animals  at  that  spot  and  attempt  to  navigate 
the  river,  diabolical  as  its  reputation  was. 

We  had  now  travelled  on  horseback  some  2,000  kilo- 
metres from  the  last  railway  station,  of  which  about  600 
kilometres  were  over  absolutely  unknown  country.  Rough 
as  the  travelling  had  been,  it  was  mere  child’s  play 
compared  with  the  experiences  we  had  to  endure  from 
that  day  on. 


END  OF  VOL.  i 


377 


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